


Our Battles Choose Us

by ThePineScentedAir



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: AU: Gladiators, Boy Kisses, But it takes a while, Canon-Typical Violence, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fighting, Fluff, Forced to fight, Getting to know you, I love Magnus and Izzy as friends, I promise, Isabelle interludes, Izzy has no time for your bullshit Maryse, Learning to trust, Love Confessions, M/M, Magnus and Izzy bonding, Powerless, Sibling Bonding, Slow Burn, Smut, They should get more time to bond in everything, Trust Issues, alec has nightmares, and seriously, best friends Magnus Alec and Isabelle, but it's blink and you'll miss it short, but there's a happy ending, downworlders vs shadowhunters, hand holding, idk this is pretty dark, lots of talking, lots of walking, mentions of major character death (not alec or izzy or magnus), not Maryse friendly, not vampire-friendly, strong leader Alec, supportive brother Alec
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-26
Updated: 2017-04-07
Packaged: 2018-09-27 02:10:09
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 37,271
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9945626
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThePineScentedAir/pseuds/ThePineScentedAir
Summary: Alec shakes his head and rubs his palm over the white scar of the faded deflect rune permanently inscribed on the left side of his neck. He wishes he had his stele or his bow or even his sword. Anything would be better than facing an unknown foe nearly weaponless and certainly powerless. He wishes a lot of things. "Keep your head and don't get cocky, Izzy. We stick together, remember?"Isabelle nods and stares at the door, weapon hanging loosely from her hand at her side. "You and me against the world, Alec."---Or, after the Downworlders rise up against the Shadowhunters, the United States is quarantined off. Downworlders capture Shadowhunters and force them to fight in arenas for entertainment. Alec and Isabelle do their best to stay alive in the ring despite everything that has happened in the year since they were captured, but what happens when they try to escape?Now complete!





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Hello there! I've been working on this fic for over a month now and am so excited to be posting it! It's nearly complete, which means it will regularly update every Sunday. I'll add more to the tags as I post but I think this is a good overview for now. This is unbeta'd so any and all mistakes are my own. Title comes from "Glory and Gore" by Lorde. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

"Choose your weapons," the vampire hisses at them. Alexander Lightwood and his sister, Isabelle, share a glance before looking down at the table.

  
"A pocket knife, an umbrella with a retractable knife on the end, a toy bow and arrow set, a garden rake, and a fireplace poker," Alec lists as he surveys the table. "Wow, you guys have really pulled out all the stops this time, haven't you?" 

  
The vampire hisses at him in warning. Isabelle rolls her eyes. "What does Raphael have in store for us today? Or don't we get to know what we'll be facing in the arena?" she asks. 

  
"Choose your weapons," the vampire repeats impatiently. 

  
"Door number two, then," Alec complains as he selects the garden rake. It has a long wooden handle and sharp metal spikes each half a centimeter in width. The wood looks half rotten through and the metal is rusted a deep red color, completely obliterating any sign of its original hue. 

  
Isabelle shoots him a questioning look before grabbing the iron poker. She's long since learned not to question him but figures it's probably a good idea to go into the coliseum able to defend against at least two variety of foe. The iron rod is heavy and cold to the touch. She surveys the menacing point to the end and twirls it in her palms. "This will do," she says with a self-satisfied grin. "They must be tired of our combat ability and are trying to handicap us in other ways," she comments blithely to Alec. 

  
Alec spares another glance to the pathetic assortment of weapons and then focuses on the door ahead of them that will open to the floor of the coliseum. "That's what worries me, Iz." His voice is low and his mouth set in a hard line. She knows that expression, has seen it before every battle for the last year ever since the Downworlder Uprising. "We'll be fine, big brother," she chastises. 

  
Alec shakes his head and rubs his palm over the white scar of the faded deflect rune permanently inscribed on the left side of his neck. He wishes he had his stele or his bow or even his sword. Anything would be better than facing an unknown foe nearly weaponless and certainly powerless. He wishes a lot of things. "Keep your head and don't get cocky, Izzy. We stick together, remember?"

  
Isabelle nods and stares at the door, weapon hanging loosely from her hand at her side. "You and me against the world, Alec."

  
There's a groaning and metallic sound as the doors part and light pours into the room. Isabelle and Alec square their shoulders and squint their eyes against the sudden sensory overload. With sure strides, the siblings walk into the arena and survey the layout before them. 

  
The high walls around the circular floor are filled with cheering and screaming Downworlders. Since Alec and Isabelle fight for Raphael and the vampire clan of Brooklyn, they assume the majority of the crowd belongs to that faction. Neither of them looks up to see if their suspicions are confirmed. They have thirty seconds to scope out the terrain and attempt to ascertain what enemies they will be facing before the other doors open, Raphael welcomes the spectators, and then the battle begins. 

  
"Sand and rocks," Isabelle calls out to be heard over the crowd. They spot high ground in the center of the arena, a cluster of boulders ten feet high at their peaks. "Ravener demons!"

  
Alec nods to his sister and quickly maps a path to the top of the boulders. "When he's done—"

  
"Follow you!" she finishes for him just before Raphael's voice booms out across the coliseum.

  
"Hello and welcome to today's battle. We have matched clan Raphael's best Shadowhunters—" the crowd claps and cheers as they lean over the railings. Their torsos cast shadows on the sand and create a menacing ring of darkness. Alec and Isabelle stay focused on the center of the ring. "—against the Josiah clan from Arizona!" More cheers erupt as, presumably, Josiah steps up next to Raphael in the head box. All eyes turn to them as they wait impatiently to hear the competitors. 

"Raphael, as you know, my clan breeds Ravener demons in the deserts of Arizona. Today, we have brought the fiercest of these demons to face your champions in a fight TO THE DEATH!" Josiah's tone rises at the end as he shouts the final words. His arms open wide to welcome in the thunderous applause. 

  
Alec spares a glance to the head vampires and as soon as he sees Raphael gesture to the fledgling manning the controls he takes off running. Isabelle catches Alec's movement out of the corner of her eye and starts after him. 

  
They jump onto the rocks and just make it to the peak when the remaining doors open and Ravener demons the size of Great Danes pour into the arena. "What the hell do they feed these things in Arizona?" Isabelle screeches. They're the biggest Raveners she's ever seen, all piercing black eyes and sharp teeth dripping with venom. 

  
Alec lifts his knee and breaks the wooden shaft of his rake in two. "I count ten of them," he calls, all business and focus. 

  
Isabelle swings the iron rod up and catches it with both hands like a baseball bat. "Whoever kills the most gets to pick their weapon first next time!" she replies, then takes off down the boulder as a demon starts scrambling up the side. 

\----

“They’re quite talented, aren’t they?” Josiah comments to Raphael during the battle. Below them, Alec plunges the bloody end of one half of his rake into the brain of a Ravener demon while Isabelle swings wildly at another on the opposite side of the arena.

“Yes. Out of all the Shadowhunters we captured almost a year ago, these two have proven to be the strongest. Of course, we have a few handfuls of Shadowhunters we keep around for fun and to breed, but this duo is our crown jewel.” Raphael looks down at the brother and sister with pride. Everything he’s ever thrown at them they have weathered beautifully.

“I hear the Seelie clan in Washington State is looking to acquire a strong female for breeding,” Josiah mentions as if Raphael brought the subject up. “I’m sure the girl there would fetch a high price if you were looking to sell.”

Raphael keeps his expression neutral even as his fist clenches down upon his chair’s armrest. “I’m sure she would. Fortunately, the siblings bring in an excellent crowd for their matches and we’ve done well in other aspects of daily life.” A loud screech cuts over the crowd as another demon falls at the hand of Isabelle. Raphael watches her pull her iron rod from the beast’s back and flip her hair out of her eyes with one bloodstained hand. His hand grips the armrest so tightly it starts to fracture. There will be no selling of the pair. He will never allow it. The two alone bring in 80 percent of their assets from the fights.

“What sort of creatures have they faced?”

Josiah’s tone is mellow and unaffected. Raphael wonders what he’s trying to get at. He’s saved from answering when one of his fledglings, Simon, comes up to him. “Hey, Raphael, I have some bad, uh, news,” Simon whispers into his ear.

“Speak,” he replies, equally as quiet.

“Camille is back in town and it appears, uh, she brought her clan.”

The armrest shatters beneath Raphael’s fist but the crowd’s cheers drown out the noise as the siblings finish off the last demon and drop their weapons at their feet. They wear twin expressions of disdain and exhaustion and merely stand with their arms at their sides facing Raphael. They’re blood-soaked and Raphael wonders how much of it is their own. The cloying scent of demon blood is too thick to determine what percentage comes from the twins.

Raphael waves Simon off with a look that screams _we will speak on this later_ and stands to face the crowd and his champions. “Well done, Shadowhunters!” his voice booms out across the crowd. His smile is wide and bears his fangs. “Not even ten of the best Ravener demons Josiah’s clan has bred could stop you! Was that entertaining?” he calls out to the crowd, urging them to call back in response. Alec and Isabelle look about ready to collapse where they stand and, really, Raphael can’t have that. “Alexander and Isabelle Lightwood, your continued excellence in combat is impressive. You are dismissed.” He gestures for them to leave and waits for the door to close behind them before addressing his crowd once again. “Now! Shall we adjourn for the remainder of the festivities?”

\----

Isabelle and Alec barely make it back to their cell before collapsing. “You would think after a year of doing this without our runes that it would get easier,” Isabelle huffs between long breaths.

Alec rolls his eyes up at the ceiling and slides his hand under his shirt, feeling blood. “After training with runes all of our lives it’s going to take more than a year to get used to things this way.” He pulls his hand back and frowns at the mixture of ichor and nephilim blood coating his fingers. “How badly are you injured?”

Isabelle closes her eyes to assess. “Cuts and scratches mostly. I’m going to have a nasty bruise on my hip from where I body-checked one of the demons but I’ll live.” She turns her head to look at Alec. “What about you?”

He rubs his thumb against his fingers. “I think the ichor is seeping into my wounds. One of them got me pretty good in my stomach. We need to shower and assess the damage.” Alec stands and walks over to the door, banging on it with his open palm until one of the nameless vampires appears. “We need showers and the medical kits.”

The vampire snorts and rolls his eyes. “I need a million dollars and a better position than babysitting Shadowhunter brats. Doesn’t mean we’re going to get what we need.”

Isabelle pulls herself into a sitting position on her cot. “If you don’t allow us to wash and properly catalogue our wounds something could happen. And I highly doubt Raphael would take kindly to the vampire who allowed his prized Shadowhunters to get hurt. Are you really willing to risk it?”

The vampire narrows his eyes but steps back to let them pass. “Ten minutes, then you’re back in here. I’m missing the feast.”

Alec doesn’t want to think about the consequences of that statement so he walks across the hall to the showers and quickly strips off the torn and blood-soaked clothes from the arena. He and Isabelle shower quickly in the open room. The water is ice cold and the tile is hard beneath his bare feet, but it’s refreshing in the way showers used to be after a hard day of training. They shut the water off and grab towels and a fresh change of clothes before walking back to their cell. The vampire throws a med kit into the room and misses Alec’s head by a fraction of an inch. Then they’re left alone.

“Alec, lay back and let me clean that,” Isabelle says when she turns around to find Alec dabbing at the wound on his side with the towel. She quickly pulls a shirt on and walks over to him, grabbing the kit on her way. “Honestly, you should be more careful,” she mumbles.

He scoffs. “Well isn’t that a bit hypocritical, coming from you?” She starts to clean the wound with alcohol and he hisses.

They’re both quiet for a while as Isabelle thoroughly cleans the gash. “I can’t keep doing this, Alec,” she says finally. It’s quiet, almost like she doesn’t want to admit it out loud, but the words still ring through the otherwise silent cell.

Alec waits for her to bandage his side before sitting up and responding. “We’re going to be ok, Izzy. Mom is in Idris and there are other Shadowhunters on other continents that are going to come help. We just have to stay strong and hold out until they can make it.”

Isabelle shakes her head. “How can you be so calm about this, Alec? They keep testing us, throwing us into impossible situations with little to defend ourselves with, for what? So they can gain pleasure from watching us nearly die time and again? They’re breeding demons just to watch us fight them!” She throws her hands into the air, frustrated. “I didn’t even know that was fucking _possible_!”

Alec grabs her hands and forces her to look at him. “It’s you and me, Iz. I’ve got your back and you’ve got mine, right? We’ll weather whatever they throw at us because we are together.” He leans forward until their foreheads touch and he goes cross-eyed trying to keep his focus on her. “Got it?”

Isabelle smiles and relents. “Got it, big bro.”


	2. Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! So, I've decided I can't wait a week to post each chapter so the new posting schedule will be every Thursday and Sunday!  
> In this chapter we meet Magnus and I hope you enjoy!
> 
> This chapter gets a little more intense and I want to warn for semi-graphic depictions of character death at the very beginning of the chapter.

Alec’s dreams come to him in sporadic jumps all piecemealed together.

_Shadowhunters run around the Institute grabbing weapons and drawing battle runes on their skin. Downworlders surround the building, waiting, chipping at the wards in droves and weakening them. Soon, the first vampires make it through._

_“Brooklyn has fallen. All Shadowhunters are to report to Idris immediately,” a voice booms throughout the Institute. Alec and Isabelle rush into the melee together with Jace and Clary and Lydia to try and stave off the vampires and allow as many of their people to escape as possible. Soon they’re overrun. Alec has a moment to send a runed arrow into the portal to Idris and close it permanently before they’re captured._

The scene changes and suddenly Alec’s standing in the stands of the arena looking down at the arena floor.

_There’s blood everywhere. Jace and Clary stand back-to-back, knives at the ready as the werewolves circle them, red saliva dripping from their canines and their eyes dark and murderous. Clary and Jace are cut and scraped and panting for air as they stand amongst the bodies of their friends, each of them torn apart by the beasts they face off with._

_Clary moves first, slashing at the werewolf in front of her, aiming for the jugular and connecting with a satisfying tear. Alec watches the blood spray from the animal and coat Clary. She doesn’t cheer like she would have at the very beginning of her training. She’s cool and calculated now ever since she watched her mother die in the Downworlder Uprising. Behind her, Jace strikes out but misses. The wolf snags his arm in its teeth and clamps down. It’s over in a matter of seconds after that. Clary calls out and a wolf attacks her from behind. The one that has Jace holds him down while the others strike. The crowd around Alec cheers but he feels hollow and broken as his connection to his parabatai severs._

“ _Jace!_ ” Alec calls out, bolting upright on his cot. His eyes are leaking tears and his breath is caught in his throat. Somewhere, he realizes he’s having another panic attack but he can’t seem to calm down. The room spins as he tries to catch his breath, but he can’t shake the sensation of that severed bond, snapping like a rubber band pulled too taught.

At the touch of Isabelle’s hand to his shoulder he starts to relax. The tightness in his chest starts to release and his breath starts to slow down. The ringing in his ears subsides and he can hear her whispering to him, shushing him, assuring him that he’s safe and sound. They’re used to these dreams by now but it’s still a shock. They’d never experienced stress like this before, not even after their worst demon attacks.

Isabelle finally placates Alec and gets him to lie back down. She climbs onto the cot next to him and wraps her arms around him, holding him tightly. She whispers into his ear that she has him and that he’s safe until, finally, he falls back asleep.

\---

Raphael looks up at the knock on his door and beckons Simon into the room. The fledgling shuts the door quietly behind him and walks slowly over to kneel in front of Raphael. He ducks his head to look at Raphael’s shoes. “Say more about this ‘news’ you brought me during the match,” Raphael commands. He swirls the glass of blood in his hand and looks coldly down at Simon.

Simon flinches and pushes his finger against the bridge of his nose, a nervous tick still lingering even though he threw away his glasses almost a year ago after the change. “We have reports that Camille is back in town and has brought her clan with her. I think she’s going to challenge you for control of Brooklyn and the surrounding areas.” His voice shakes as he delivers the bad news.

Raphael nods. “Well, then we must beat her to the punch. Send one of Camille’s sires to challenge her. She will be less likely to kill one of her own straight away. The challenge will be in two week’s time. Our best fighters against hers.” He knew this day would come; better sooner than later.

Simon nods furiously and stands up. “It will be done immediately,” he promises before backing out of the room and closing the door.

“Camille wants to reclaim her territory does she?” Raphael mutters to himself. He walks over to the map of the country on the wall, the one that outlines the territories of all of the clans in the continental United States, and shakes his head. “I’ve worked too long and too hard for my control, dear Camille. Once we defeat you, I will take over your line once and for all.”

\---

“Get up!” The vampire bangs on the metal door with a steel pipe. The sound fills the room with an awful clanging and jolts Isabelle and Alec out of their slumber.

Isabelle is the first to react. She jumps to her feet and slams the bottom of her bare foot against the door. “We’re fucking awake!” she screams, putting her face to the window so the vampire can see her fury.

He merely grins. “Five minutes. Training today. Get ready.”

Isabelle kicks the door again and then turns to grab Alec’s training clothes and throw them at him. They both change quickly into the threadbare, grey sweatpants and white shirts riddled with holes. Isabelle moves faster than Alec and stands at the door with her arms crossed, contemplating kicking it again.

Alec’s still reeling from the nightmares he kept waking to. Last night not even Isabelle could calm him completely. The dreams have been getting worse the more times they fight and it feels like he’s just treading water sometimes, lost in the world without a piece of his soul. He still hasn’t told Isabelle exactly what happened, thankful she was spared the torment of seeing their loved ones ripped to shreds.

The vampire opens the door and pushes them down the hallway. They stumble down the corridors until they reach the open training floor Raphael had constructed just for them. He’s standing by a table filled with seraph blades and knives and looks down his nose at the Shadowhunters.

Alec’s heart races when he sees his bow and arrows on the table but he tries to keep his expression schooled so Raphael doesn’t catch his excitement. Isabelle, on the other hand, lacks the same qualms as Alec. He hears her gasp and looks over at her face, lit up at the sight of the weapons they’ve trained with since they were ten.

“The old leader of the New York vampire clan, Camille, has returned and is planning a coup,” Raphael says, his tone bored and unaffected. “In two weeks, you will face her champions in a fight to the death to, hopefully, prevent her from assuming power. That is, assuming she agrees to the terms I set forth and doesn’t try to subvert them.” Raphael scoffs. “I find it highly doubtful she will. In any case, you absolutely must win this battle, which is why your steles and angel blades will be provided to you for training and combat. However, I trust you remember your place and will not attempt to escape or kill any vampire in my clan.”

Alec doesn’t like the thinly veiled threat but his hands ache to wrap around his bow again so he nods. Isabelle nods as well and then Raphael steps away from the table. “You’ll have five minutes with your steles. Activate whatever runes you must and then follow Moriah to the arena. We’ve arranged some practice targets for you.”

Isabelle beelines for the table and wraps her fingers tightly around her stele, drawing runes quickly along her arms and lifting up her shirt to draw them on her torso. Alec runes a quiver of arrows before lifting up his shirt to draw runes for speed and agility on his stomach. His fingers graze over the spot where his parabatai rune used to be, now long-faded, and frowns. Isabelle nudges his arm with her shoulder and snaps him out of his thoughts. The vampire, Moriah, starts walking over to them so Alec hastily draws the most useful runes he can think of for the exercise before he has to hand over his stele. The last thing he draws is the blocking rune he wore for so many years on the left side of his neck. When the rune is finished he finally feels whole again.

He and Isabelle part with their most prized tool after a fairly threatening expression from the vampire. Alec slings his quiver onto his shoulder and grabs his bow while Isabelle grabs two swords. The weapons respond to their touch immediately, Alec’s bow and Isabelle’s blades materializing in their hands as if out of thin air. The vampire hisses at them in warning. “We can’t help the weapon’s response to our touch,” Isabelle bites back. Alec presses his lips together and doesn’t weigh in, though he relishes in the weight of his bow in his hand again.

Moriah forces them to walk in front of her as they head towards the training area Raphael spoke of. When they reach the open space Alec and Isabelle scope out the terrain and targets quickly. “Whenever you’re ready,” Moriah says behind them. “You have two hours to reacquaint yourselves with your weapons.” She retreats from the room and shuts the doors behind her, locking them in.

Alec reaches behind him and grabs an arrow, knocking it and drawing it back out of muscle memory. The bow remembers his touch, like it already knows what to do, and so he aims the tip of the arrow high and releases. He looks down a second later to see it hit its mark. Without the vampires in their immediate presence, Alec allows his stony façade to drop and smiles down at his sister. “It feels good to be powerful again.”

Isabelle twirls the blades in her hands and then sends one flying into the nearest target, ten feet away. “That it does, big brother. That it does.”

\---

Training is so much better with their angelic powers and weapons back. Isabelle and Alec become stronger and faster and more like their old selves with every passing day. The nightmares even become more bearable now that Alec’s runes are activated again. He shuts out the pain of loss he still feels and just focuses on the task at hand: training and becoming strong enough to stay alive.

Since the moment Isabelle wrapped her fingers around her stele she began to plan. She’s tired of waiting for help that she’s sure is never going to come and knows they have to escape now if they ever will. She keeps all of this planning from Alec because he would tell her not to be reckless and to bide their time until they’re rescued but Isabelle has never been a damsel in distress.

Five days before their match against Camille’s champions, Isabelle sets her plot into motion. She’s stronger than she’s been since they were captured and knows Alec is strong, too. They can escape during the day and find a warlock to open a portal for them to Idris. There has to be a way for them to escape. And if they don’t take this opportunity now, before Camille’s clan arrives, then they may never get the same chance again.

Just before Moriah comes to collect them in the training arena, Isabelle walks over to one of the dummies and extracts Alec’s arrow. While his back is turned she quietly snaps it in two, tossing the fletching end into the sand and brushing her boot over it. She slides the other end up her sleeve and holds her arm carefully so it doesn’t show when they’re walking.

Another vampire takes them back to their cell to shower and sleep. “Hurry up, Shadowhunters,” he jeers, leaning in the doorway and waiting for them to strip. “Five minutes.”

Isabelle doesn’t second-guess it, doesn’t give herself the opportunity to reconsider. One second she’s sliding her hand up her sleeve and the next the arrow tip is embedded in the vampire’s chest. He looks up at her with wide eyes before he bursts into flames and turns to dust. “Izzy!” Alec hisses but she doesn’t give him a chance to think. She turns, grabs his arm, and drags him out of the room.

They nearly make it. The runes help them run quickly and silently through the hallways and the sun must be out because they don’t pass by any vampires. Isabelle has a general sense of the path to freedom and guides them through the winding corridors. They burst through a door to a stairwell and make their way down the flights of stairs. Isabelle can see the door to freedom in front of them and her heart leaps. But, just before she makes it to the door, Simon and few of Raphael’s other new fledglings step out of the shadows and stop them.

\---

“Raphael! My son, come here.” Magnus opens his arms wide and beckons the vampire forward.

Raphael steps closer to Magnus reluctantly, awkwardly leaning in so Magnus can hug him. “I didn’t realize you were coming,” Raphael mumbles.

“Well, when I heard Camille was back in town I thought I should come mediate. Who else knows you and her as well as I do?” He smiles and waves his hand flippantly. “We both know she’ll try something. Best to have a warlock on your side, hm?”

The doors burst open and Raphael turns on the vampires entering, bearing his fangs at the interruption. Magnus blinks his eyes in surprise as a group of vampires push two Shadowhunters into the room. “The Shadowhunters were trying to escape,” Simon explains as he forces Isabelle onto her knees in front of Raphael. Alec stumbles in next to them, the vampire behind him pushing him so he falls facedown on the carpet.

Raphael straightens his jacket as he appraises them. “Trying to escape? After how well you’ve been treated since you came here?”

“Don’t overestimate yourself, _vampire_ ,” Isabelle spits, glaring up at him. Alec pushes himself to kneel beside her but carefully masks his expression. Only his eyes show his anger. They appraise the man next to Raphael carefully in case he, too, will be a future threat.

“You would do well to remain silent, Lightwood,” Raphael replies. “What happened to the vampire who was on duty tonight?”

Simon looks down at the Shadowhunters. “They killed him with one of their arrows. They broke the tip off and dusted Tom.”

Magnus watches the exchanges calmly. After the Uprising he vowed to remain as neutral as possible although he doesn’t approve of the enslavement of Shadowhunters across the country. He pays particular attention to the Lightwood siblings kneeling before Raphael. Magnus remembers the Lightwood name well and wonders if these two are anything like their ancestors.

“I’m disappointed in you, Alec. I thought we were clear what would happen if you abused my trust in you.”

Alec opens his mouth to counter Raphael’s assumption but Isabelle beats him to the punch. “I killed the vampire.” All eyes turn to her and she squares her shoulders, staring Raphael down. “I saw my chance and I took it. You can hardly fault me for trying to escape this prison knowing what my brother and I will be facing at the end of the week.”

Raphael narrows his eyes at the confession and then breaks his gaze to look up at Simon. “Assemble the clan. I believe we have a lesson to teach these Shadowhunters.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Next chapter: Raphael punishes the Lightwoods for killing a vampire, Camille's clan shows up, and the Lightwoods head into battle.


	3. Chapter Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Thursday! I'm studying for my watershed hydrology midterm and still riding the high from Monday's episode so here! Have a chapter at the start of my day rather than the end. This one's twice as long as the previous chapter and we get some background about what happened during the Uprising so, yay for plot. 
> 
> Things this chapter get a little darker so bear with me. Warnings for this chapter include graphic depiction of torture.

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Magnus asks skeptically. He stands next to Raphael in front of the vampire clan, the Lightwoods held off to the side. He and Raphael stand on a raised portion in a large hall, at the top of five marble steps. As he looks out over the vampires, Magnus sees loathing and ire in their expressions. The animosity feeding off of the crows makes him wonder how anyone let this hatred of Shadowhunters grow so strong that the Uprising occurred and the angelic race became enslaved.

Raphael barely spares Magnus a glance before he turns to address the crowd. “My children!” he begins. All eyes turn to him in rapt attention. “My family, one of our own has been struck down!” He has to be careful in how he approaches this. If it grows too out of hand he could incite a mob of angry vampires hell bent on killing the Shadowhunters. “Our champions, who we have fed and housed for nearly a year, have decided they no longer wish to serve us. They believe they are still better than us just because they have the blood of angels coursing through their veins!”

The hall erupts in a cacophony of sound as the vampires respond, yelling and jeering. In their screams there’s an undercurrent of all of the oppression forced upon Downworlders by Shadowhunters and the years of living under one-sided Accords only put in place to benefit the nephilim. Magnus walks down the steps to stand on the opposite side of the room as the Lightwoods in an attempt to physically distance himself from the rising chaos.

Raphael continues as if Magnus never moved. “Tonight, we remind them of their place. Tonight, I remind them of the mercy we show them!” He nods to Simon, who pushes Alec up the steps to stand just below Raphael. Alec’s eyes pierce into his but Raphael’s expression remains cold and calculating. Off to the side, Magnus notices how the noise of the crowd has dropped off and left the room eerily silent. “Your sister, Isabelle, violated the trust I placed in you and the rules I set forth a year ago. It is my right, as clan leader, to enact whatever punishment I see fit.” His voice carries throughout the room even though his tone is subdued. He catches a glimpse of Isabelle’s worried face as he turns Alec around to face the clan.

“Simon.” Raphael nods to his underling, who looks somewhat nervous underneath the determined set of his eyebrows.

Raphael slides his fingers into Alec’s hair and jerks his head to the side, exposing the long column of his throat. The black blocking rune stands out against Alec’s white skin and Raphael eyes it appreciatively. With a final glance to Simon he bears his fangs and bites down on Alec’s throat.

\---

The moment Raphael’s fangs break his skin, Alec feels like he’s floating. It’s euphoric. No matter how hard he tries to fight it, the rush of adrenaline from the bite courses through his veins and sets every nerve ending on fire. His eyes close of their own accord and his breath catches in his throat. Memories start to bubble to the surface and he tries to follow them:

_“This is your little brother, Max,” his father tells him as he passes the baby over. He’s so small in Alec’s arms and so fragile Alec worries he’ll break him. But he feels such joy and love for his brother that he pushes the worry away and smiles down at the laughing baby in his arms._

_“Can you keep up, big bro?” Isabelle asks him with that wide, cocky smile that makes him shake his head. He catches her next jab and knocks her on her ass with a returning smile and can’t help but laugh at how wonderful his sister is and how fond of her he is._

_“The Angel do so to me, and more also, if aught but death part thee and me,” Alec recites, smiling over at Jace as the oath binds the rune to his skin. When the last words are spoken he feels infinitely close to Jace, closer than he’s ever felt to another person in his life._

There’s a sharp tug on his hair that breaks his concentration and makes him open his eyes. They land on Simon, standing just below him but directly in his line of sight, and on the hand the vampire is carefully twisting through the air. Normally, Alec would be able to resist the vampire’s _incanto_. But that magic coupled with Raphael’s bite is too strong and lulls him in.

He follows the trail of Simon’s fingers through the air, watches them whirl and glide while wearing a subdued expression on his face. He follows the trail to Simon’s eyes and then his world inverts.

\---

Magnus purses his lips as he watches Raphael enact his revenge. He tries his hardest to remain impartial and ignore the emotion behind the scene and to take it at face value. But he finds he can’t. He knows that this is wrong and the scene before him should not be happening. A part of him wants to force Raphael to stop. Another part of him can’t seem to look away from the Shadowhunter.

The expression on Alec’s face is intriguing. Magnus finds the man quite beautiful, despite the circumstances, with the expression of bliss painted across his features. His eyes closed and mouth open, Alec looks like a man enthralled in pleasure.

That quickly changes when Simon gets a hold of his mind.

He watches Alec follow Simon’s fingers dumbly like a mongoose trapped in a cobra’s dance. Magnus wants to warn Alec of what will happen when Simon’s fingers stop, wants to protect this man he knows almost nothing about, wants to save Raphael from himself. Magnus glances over at Isabelle where she watches numbly, tears falling down her cheeks, as Simon takes control of her brother’s mind. Magnus’s brow furrows and he looks back at Alec just in time to watch the expression on his face shift. The screams that follow are deafening.

\---

Alec is burning from the inside out. His blood has turned to acid and is searing away at his body, radiating pain outwards until he’s sure there will be nothing left. He’s distantly aware that he’s screaming, crying, calling out for help and mercy.

More images flash through his mind mercifully fast, too quick for him to follow and torment himself more: his mother retreating to Idris during the Uprising and leaving him to fend for himself, vampires coming in the middle of the night to take Clary and Isabelle and returning them beaten and bloody and broken in the morning, Jace promising them everything would be ok, Clary crying as she realizes the Simon she knew has been lost forever, Luke’s mangled body dropped in the middle of the arena, wolves killing Clary, wolves killing _Jace_ —

Alec senses Raphael letting him go but he can’t seem to focus on anything but the last image: Jace’s lifeless body on the floor of the arena. Still screaming, blood still searing like acid, Alec drops to his knees, misses, falls down the stairs and curls into a ball. He begs for it to stop. He begs for mercy. He receives none.

\---

“Let him _free_!” Isabelle screams, eyes manic. The vampires sit gleefully, clambering over one another to watch the great Alexander Lightwood plead for compassion. She struggles against the one holding her, kicks and pulls and tries to break free. The hands around her wrists clamp down tightly and prevent her from escaping. “Alec! _Alec!_ It’s just an illusion! You have to fight it. You’re stronger than them! _Alec!_ ”

\---

Isabelle’s panic cuts straight through Magnus and spurs him into action. He walks up the steps and puts a hand on Raphael’s shoulder. “I think the Shadowhunters have learned their lesson, Raphael,” he says calmly.

Raphael shakes his head. “Not yet.”

Magnus’s expression hardens. “I said that’s enough, Raphael. Release him at once.” His tone is sharp and brooks no argument. Raphael pauses for a moment before nodding to Simon. The fledgling’s concentration breaks and Alec’s screams morph into sobs and moans.

“Take them to their cell and post a handful guards outside. Until Camille’s clan has passed through we are doubling security. The Shadowhunters must be at top shape for the match in five days. Dismissed.” Raphael waves the vampires off and then turns to Magnus. “How dare you—“ he begins. Magnus shakes his head sharply and leads the way out of the hall to Raphael’s office.

“You overstepped, Raphael,” Magnus chastises once the door closes behind them. He stands facing the desk with his back to Raphel.

“It is within my right to do whatever I please when they kill one of my own.”

The coldness with which Raphael delivers the line makes Magnus turn to him. “Have you forgotten what it was like to be oppressed?” he asks, incredulous. “You have an opportunity to show mercy and instead you act as if these two are the sole cause of all of your years of misery. Must the two pay for the sins of the many?”

“Shadowhunters exist for enjoyment now, Magnus. If you disagree then leave my clan but while you are here you will follow _my_ rules.”

Magnus raises his hand palm up and conjures his magic in warning. “Do not forget your place, Raphael. You exist by my grace and I can just as easily strip you of your position and all that you treasure. When I say it is enough, you obey me.”

Raphael averts his gaze in compliance. “My apologies, Magnus.”

Magnus drops his hand and nods. “You know my stance on the Shadowhunter enslavement. You would do well to remember how you felt under Camille’s rule.” He walks over to the map on Raphael’s wall and studies the territory bounds. “But, speaking of the temptress, what precautions do you have in place for her arrival?”

Raphael walks over to stand next to him. “The standard ones. My clan is prepared for war if need be.”

Magnus nods. “I’ll work on warding the hotel in case it comes to that. Whatever happens in five days, we’ll be ready.”

\---

Isabelle can’t sleep, the image of Alec’s face of sheer pain and terror as he begged for mercy permanently inscribed behind her eyelids. So she sits up on her cot with her back to the wall and watches her brother toss and turn across the room. Her tears have long since dried, leaving stiff tracks along her cheeks, but she doesn’t care enough to brush them away.

Isabelle wraps her arms around her knees and rests her chin on top, looking her brother over. He’s lying on his stomach with his head turned away from her but she can just see the mark where Raphael’s teeth bit into him. Alec’s screams of agony still ring in her ears.

“I’m so sorry, Alec,” she whispers, voice sounding broken and raw even to her ears. “This is my fault. I thought we could get out of here and make it to the boarder. I thought we were finally strong enough.” Fresh tears slip down her cheeks. “He shouldn’t have touched you. I’ll kill him for this.” Her last words are cold and sure and said without hesitation. She stays awake through the night and takes comfort in her plans for ending Raphael’s life.

\---

Alec’s dreams haunt him again, pulled from the darkest parts of his memory by Raphael and Simon’s torture that day.

_“I’m scared,” Clary whispers, looking at the three of them from the corner of the room. They all sit on the floor, no cots or blankets or other furniture in the room. Jace shifts closer to Clary and pulls her into his arms as if trying to reassure her. His eyes lock with Alec’s, though, and betray his doubt. No one is coming for them. Their only chance is to weather whatever is thrown at them and survive._

_“As long as we’re together we’ll be fine,” Isabelle says firmly. She has to believe that, has to believe they’ll be ok. Alec can see the determination on her face._

_There’s a noise at the door and all heads turn to watch it swing open and reveal Simon and another vampire. “Simon?” Clary asks with hope in her tone. But his eyes are dark and merciless, a shadow of who he used to be. He bares his teeth at her and in the blink of an eye moves from the cell entrance to stand over her. He grabs her by the arm and pulls her to her feet, wrenching her out of Jace’s arms._

_The other vampire comes for Isabelle and drags her out of the room despite her protests. Alec and Jace both jump to their feet to try and help but the vampires are gone before they make it to the door. Alec barely pulls his fingers away in time for them to not be crushed beneath the weight of the door swinging shut._

_“Where are you taking them!?” Jace calls through the barred window. His eyes are wide and Alec can see a vein protruding from his neck as he tries to break down the door._

_Alec pulls him back before he can hurt himself. “Jace! Jace, you need to calm down. Listen to me. Jace,_ look at me _.” He pulls his parabatai around to face him and grabs his face, forcing Jace to look him in the eye. “They aren’t going to hurt them. They need us. I heard Raphael talking about champions and an arena, ok? They need us to fight for them. Clary and Isabelle are strong…they’re going to be ok.”_

_Jace seems to deflate in his grasp and they both sink to their knees. “Clary,” Jace whispers, looking down at his hands. Alec drops his arms to his side. “What do we do, Alec?”_

_Jace’s question momentarily throws Alec. He looks at his brother, his best friend, the cocky asshole who always knows what he’s doing and what the next move is, and realizes that Jace doesn’t have it in him to be the strong one right now. Alec realizes Jace is depending on him to get them through until the Clave rescues them all. No matter what happens moving forward, he has to be the one to carry the others. He’s the eldest and the leader and the one everyone turns to when things go to shit. “We wait for them to come back. We bide our time and take care of each other and gather as much information as possible in the meantime. Then we make our move.”_

_They sit and wait for hours, Alec meditating and Jace fidgeting every five seconds, until the door opens and the vampires throw Clary and Isabelle into the cell once again. The girls fall to the floor, bruised and bloody. Alec can see puncture marks on their necks._

_Clary visibly shakes as Jace pulls her into his lap and wraps his arms around her. She clutches his shirt tightly and buries her face in his neck, crying quietly. Isabelle drags herself over to Alec and rests her head against his thigh, looking over at Clary. Her expression is dark but she doesn’t show any outward signs of weakness. Alec puts his hand on her shoulder and she grabs it, twining their fingers together as if she can absorb his strength through their connection. He doesn’t ask what happened and they don’t say._

The feeling of helplessness intensifies and causes Alec’s dream to shift.

_“We’ll see you in a few hours,” Jace promises as he grasps Alec’s hand. He and Clary are about to leave for a match. Isabelle hugs Clary close and whispers to her. Alec nods at Jace._

_“Watch your six,” he tells him._

_Later, Alec can feel something is wrong through his bond. He closes his eyes, brow furrowed, and suddenly, somehow, it’s like he’s standing above the ring and looking down at the match. He can hear Isabelle calling him, asking what’s wrong, but he can’t look away from the battle below him. The wolves circle Jace and Clary. They attack. The world stops as the wolf bites down on Jace’s neck, killing him instantly. Alec’s hip burns where his parabatai mark is, the severed connection rippling through his body. He feels like a piece of him has died. He feels lonely and empty and afraid._

_Everything cycles back to the beginning and he watches again and again as Jace and Clary die. The pain and loss intensify until he feels like he’s falling down an endless tunnel, spiraling and spiraling through the air, tumbling down, down, down…_

Alec wakes up screaming. Isabelle is right there, by his side like she always has been. She holds him until his screams quiet down. Neither one sleeps after that.

\---

“Today is the day,” Simon mumbles to Raphael as he stands in front of his sire. “Are you ready?”

Raphael looks at Simon with a blank expression. “You have much to learn, Simon, if you think that is an appropriate question to ask me.” Simon looks frightened and backs away, nodding. Raphael turns his gaze to Magnus. The warlock is reclining on a chair in his office, clothes perfectly suited for the match that day and expression carefully neutral. “Camille will be here shortly.”

Magnus waves him off. “Let her come. She holds no sway over me any longer.”

Raphael nods. “Simon, open the doors and prepare to meet Camille and her followers.” Before Simon can move, the doors part and Camille strides into the office like the queen she believes herself to be.

“I make my own entrances, thank you very much,” she says in her haughty tone. She looks down her nose at Raphael. “What a pleasure to see you again, Raphael.”

“The pleasure is all yours, Camille. You remember Magnus.”

The warlock nods to Camille but remains silent. “Magnus, of course. How are you, my dear?” Camille’s seductive tone barely fazes him.

“Quite well, no thanks to you.” He keeps his tone calm and flippant despite the hatred he feels for the woman.

Raphael claps his hands together to draw their attention. “Shall we dispense with the pleasantries and move to the coliseum?” He nods to Simon. “Simon will lead the way.”

\---

Alec pulls his shirt off by the back of the neck and drops it onto the table. His teeth grit at the familiar sting of the runes Isabelle etches onto his skin. As she finishes each one he feels the rush of power through his body and his fingertips tingle. They draw everything they can think of, trying to prepare for whatever Camille can throw at them. When Isabelle finishes she steps back to let Alec pull his shirt back on. She tosses hers aside and turns her back on her brother so he can mark her with runes as well.

“We can handle whatever they throw at us,” Isabelle says firmly. She’s been repeating those words over and over for the past five days as Alec slowly pulled himself out of the torture-induced fog. “You and me, Alec. As long as we’re together they can’t hurt us.”

Alec finishes the runes and tosses her shirt at her. “Grab every weapon you can.” He turns to the table and slings his quiver over his shoulder. The familiar weight of the strap across his chest calms him and he takes a deep breath as he centers himself. “As long as we’re together,” he repeats quietly.

Isabelle slides her snake cuff up her wrist, attaches knives to her thigh with a holster and swords to her hips with a belt. Alec arms himself in much the same way, sliding knives into his boots and grabbing a sword. He takes his bow last, feeling whole again with the weight of it in his palm.

“No mercy, Izzy. We kill and we show them the _real_ power of Shadowhunters,” he tells her ruthlessly as they stand before the metal doors to the arena. One of Isabelle’s swords glows in response to his words. They have a moment to glance at each other before the doors part and they step into a war zone.

Across from them is a near army of vampires and werewolves. There’s no high ground in the arena and nowhere for them to hide, just the open floor with their enemies facing them.

They take off running for the center of the floor, standing back to back as their enemies circle them. Alec reaches back and starts to fire off arrows, connecting with vampire after vampire but never seeming to whittle down their defenses. He hears Isabelle’s sword and whip making contact with wolves and vampires alike as the forces keep coming and coming. The stamina runes do their job and keep the siblings upright and fighting, but the longer the battle goes on the more tired they grow.

The werewolves light a fire in Alec and he targets them with no mercy. His blade slides between their ribs and into their throats easily and he tosses them aside just like they tossed Jace aside. He knows he’s taking revenge on the beasts. He doesn’t care. The sound of snarls and grunts of pain and death drown out the cheers of the crowd. Alec listens for Isabelle, making sure she’s ok and handling her own even though she’s one of the best fighters he knows, and keeps fighting.

And then it’s over. Alec pulls his blade from the torso of a wolf and looks around for the next enemy. When he finds none he turns to Isabelle, sees her limping over to him and clutching her arm but otherwise in one piece. Alec is soaked in blood and tries his best to blink the thick liquid out of his eyes. His gaze turns to the box where Raphael and Magnus face Camille down.

\---

“I trust you and your clan will be gone before sunup?” Raphael tells Camille after the Lightwoods slay the last of her champions.

She stands, furious, and scoffs. “I’m not going anywhere, Raphael. I built this clan from the ground up and I’ve come to reclaim what you took from me.”

Raphael stands and faces her, arms crossed lazily across his chest. “This is my clan. Nothing here belongs to you anymore. You had best leave now while you still can.”

“Is that a threat?” Camille asks, bemused. She looks at him with a mixture of mockery and surprise on her face. “Your little Shadowhunters and clan can’t hold a candle to mine. I’m taking what’s mine and you can’t stop me.” She lunges at Raphael, fingers reaching forward like claws to wrap around his neck, but she’s stopped in her tracks by blue wisps wrapping around her body. “ _Magnus_?” she screeches, turning her head to glare at him.

Magnus looks at her with hard eyes, his hand raised next to his head and magic obviously holding Camille in place. “I have to keep the peace, Camille. If you’re going to attack Raphael I have to stop you. He won and so you must leave.” He almost looks apologetic as he says it.

Camille’s eyes blaze with fury and she hisses at him. “It is my _right_ to take back what Raphael stole from me.” She struggles against Magnus’s magic but before she can break free, Raphael plunges his hand into her chest and pulls out her heart.

In his shock Magnus forgets to keep his magical hold on Camille. His magic falls away and as it does her lifeless body drops to the ground. The vampires in the coliseum are stunned silent, no one moving even a fraction of an inch. Raphael stares down at the heart in his hand, an unreadable but nonetheless troubling expression on his face. He tips his hand and the heart falls to the ground with a disturbing _splat_. “Camille has forfeited her right to life. Any member of her clan is welcome to pledge their loyalty to me and remain in my clan. Those choosing to leave should make haste. Sunup is only a few hours away.”

Raphael looks down at the Shadowhunters in the arena and nods to them. “Clan Raphael Champions. Good work today. You are dismissed.” Without another word, Raphael turns and exits the stadium.

Magnus stares down at Camille in horror. He doesn’t know when Raphael turned into the coldhearted, ruthless monster he just witnessed but he has a feeling it occurred sometime after the Uprising. Perhaps Raphael always had it within him. Magnus takes a final look at Camille’s lifeless eyes staring up at him and then walks away.

Suddenly, the events he’s witnessed in the past week make him question the effectiveness of the Uprising. He needs to talk to Ragnor Fell.

\---

Magnus sits at Raphael’s desk and taps a pen against the mahogany wood. It’s the middle of the day and almost all of the vampires are asleep. Raphael is certainly passed out in his coffin, sleeping soundly despite killing Camille a few hours earlier. Magnus eventually makes up his mind. He sets the pen down and flicks his wrist, sending the message in front of him up in flames. It disappears into a puff of smoke and he waits for Ragnor’s reply.

A few seconds later a portal appears in front of him and he’s looking at his longtime friend and fellow warlock. “Magnus, honestly, do you have to be so dramatic?” Ragnor chastises, looking down at the note Magnus sent him.

Magnus rolls his eyes. “I’m having a slight crisis, Ragnor. You’ll have to forgive me.”

“I can see that.” Ragnor sighs and looks up at him. “Well, you’d best start at the beginning.”

“Well where is that, exactly? You’ve been off the radar for so long…do you know about the Uprising?” When Ragnor shakes his head Magnus continues. “Nearly a year ago, after Valentine weakened the Shadowhunter control in the continental United States, Downworlders rose up against the Nephilim. The Nephilim forces were so weakened that their ranks fell easily. It was over in a matter of days, all across the country.

“Some of the Shadowhunters were able to escape to Idris but the majority were captured. Downworlders split into factions and assumed control of different parcels of land, drawing new boundaries. They split the Shadowhunters into groups and began selling and trading them. Some they started using for entertainment, pitting them against demons and Downworlders like gladiators. Others were sent off to the Seelies for breeding. In the vampire clans, some Shadowhunters are kept as delicacies to feed delegates from other clans.” Magnus pauses and thinks about Raphael biting into Alec’s neck, the way Raphael seemed to float on air for the next day while the angel blood coursed through him.

“I’ve remained neutral for the most part since the Uprising. The Shadowhunters haven’t been friends of mine for decades,” Magnus continues.

Ragnor takes one look at his face and knows something is different. “But now…?” he prompts.

Magnus pauses. “But now things have changed. I’ve seen Raphael do unforgiveable things both to the Shadowhunters he’s claimed as his ‘champions’ and to his enemies. Namely, to Camille.” He looks down, trying not to picture the blank expression on Camille’s face or the pained expression on Alec’s. “I used to think the Shadowhunters brought this fate upon themselves. But after seeing the Shadowhunters fight and kill and still be tortured for who they are I’m starting to wonder if it’s right.”

“How old are these Shadowhunters? The ones you’re directly speaking of?”

“No more than twenty-five years. Perhaps younger.”

Ragnor frowns. “Magnus, they’re not old enough to understand the sins they are being punished for. Raphael is forcing these children to pay for the sins of their parents and ancestors. The older generations of Shadowhunters are the ones who should be made to pay. Not the younger generations who may yet challenge the status quo. You’re calling to ask if you should free the Shadowhunters, aren’t you?” He knows Magnus too well. “I cannot fathom how you could continue to allow them to be enslaved.”

Magnus sits silently as he ponders Ragnor’s words. He can see where Ragnor is coming from, logically knows that the younglings aren’t to blame for the unrest that led to the Uprising. But someone has to pay for the decisions and, perhaps, the young Shadowhunters must bear that task. “Now that Camille is gone, Raphael might change his attitude toward the Shadowhunters. Things could improve and my reason for calling may be moot.” He wonders if he actually believes that. From the look on Ragnor’s face, he doesn’t believe a word of it.

“The decision is your own and nothing I can say will change it,” Ragnor tells him. “However, I implore you to think on this conversation and decide if you truly believe the young hunters should pay for the wrong-doings of their ancestors.”

Before Magnus can respond, Ragnor closes the connection and leaves him in silence.

\---

Months later, even though Raphael still has Alec and Isabelle fighting for his clan’s entertainment, he keeps their steles locked up. Every day Alec watches his runes grow lighter and lighter as they start to disappear. He tries not to show that it affects him, but Isabelle can see the pain behind his eyes when he looks down and sees another rune nearly gone.

Magnus has taken to watching the matches from Raphael’s study. He throws up a portal and watches the match far away from any vampire who could see the tortured look on his face. Every day his resolve weakens a bit more and the more he watches the Shadowhunters fight for their lives the more he thinks he should do something to help.

Everything comes to a head when Raphael decides he’s selling Isabelle to the Seelies.

“You’re _what_?” Magnus demands.

Raphael doesn’t look up from the contract he’s reading over. “I’m selling Isabelle. The Washington Seelies have offered a considerable price for her and I’ve decided to take it.” His words are matter of fact, all business and no emotion.

Magnus can hardly believe his ears. “What about the fights?”

Raphael waves him off and picks up a pen to sign the document. “Alec will be able to maintain our revenue on his own. We’ll just have to downsize the fights. It will still be entertaining.” As soon as his signature dries the contract disappears. “It’s done.”

“When are they taking her?”

Raphael looks up at him. “She’s been gone since the moment that contract disappeared.”

\---

Alec and Isabelle are in the middle of dressing each other’s wounds from the day’s fight (shax demons. Raphael had them fight _shax demons_ with a mop and a pathetic assortment of dull and rusted kitchen knives) when Isabelle drops the bandages and looks up at him in shock.

“What’s going on?” Alec asks frantically. She’s disappearing right before his eyes as if slowly being pulled to another location.

“Alec!” she calls, but her voice sounds distant and faint. “ _Alec_!” The more she disappears the quieter her voice becomes. He reaches for her, calling her name, trying to hold her in the cell and stop whatever is happening, but his hands close on thin air. The last things he sees are her wide, frightened eyes, and her lips forming his name but no sound coming out.

Then she’s gone.

Alec drops to his knees and puts his head in his hands and, for the first time since they were captured, allows his wards to drop and breaks down into tears.

\---

“I don’t understand how you could do this, Raphael,” Magnus says sadly.

“I don’t see why it’s any of your concern, Magnus. Isabelle was my property, I decided we would be better served by letting her go, and the transaction has been completed.”

Magnus shakes his head. “When did you become this person? I feel like I don’t even know you anymore.”

“Who I am and what I do is no longer your concern, Magnus. I run this clan the way I see fit and you are here by my leave.”

“I raised you, Raphael. Do not forget the frightened boy you were.” Their conversation is dangerously heated, their anger simmering just below the surface and waiting for a perturbation to the system before they explode.

“Whoever I _was_ doesn’t matter now. What matters now is taking care of my clan and doing what is best for me. I am much stronger than I used to be and you would do well to remember how much I’ve grown.”

Magnus’s magic reaches out to Raphael and twists around his throat, slowly pressing in. His golden eyes burn into Raphael’s. “Watch your tone,” Magnus warns. His magic tightens and Raphael’s eyes widen in fear. Magnus doesn’t have to say anything more than that, just has to look at him and remind him who is in charge. Magnus is centuries older than Raphael and he is the only one in control. But he’s seen enough to know that Raphael has been lost to him.

Magnus drops his magic and strides out of the room without looking back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Next chapter: Alec looks up when Magnus steps to the door. Alec doesn’t say anything, just freezes and stares at him, so Magnus talks first. “I know I haven’t given you much reason to, but I need you to trust me.”


	4. Chapter Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaaaand the moment you've all been waiting for! Alec and Magnus (finally) interacting! There's also a lot of discussion of portaling and I'm just putting out the disclaimer that I haven't read the books so this is my interpretation of the magic in this universe. If it's wrong, well, creative license haha. Also, let's just pretend that the distances they travel from here on out are realistic. 
> 
> Enjoy!

Magnus waits until the vampires are asleep and the sun is hanging high above the light-proofed den, gathering everything he needs and making sure his magic is fully charged. When the halls are silent and he knows the vampires are mostly asleep he slips out of Raphael’s office and sneaks down to the cell where they keep Alec. He finds the Shadowhunter pacing back and forth in the small room. Alec’s hair is a disheveled mess, like he’s been running his fingers through it constantly, and his eyes are red-rimmed and dark from crying and lack of sleep. Magnus feels a pull within him and realizes he wants nothing more than to save this angel. Any doubt he may have had about rescuing Alec disappears.

Alec looks up when Magnus steps to the door. He doesn’t say anything, just freezes and stares at him, so Magnus talks first. “I know I haven’t given you much reason to, but I need you to trust me.” Alec scoffs but Magnus presses on. “I’m getting you out of here. I know where they sent your sister and I can take you there.” Alec, understandably, looks warily out at him through the bars on the door. Magnus looks back at the corridor behind him and then turns back to Alec. “Step back.”

He waits for the Shadowhunter to comply, raising his hands to urge Alec back. Magnus takes a deep breath, conjures the magical equivalent of a battering ram, and smashes through the metal door. It falls into the room and lands with a satisfying _thump_. Alec stares down at it with wide eyes and doesn’t move. “Come on,” Magnus urges, waving Alec forward. Alec’s confusion breaks and he runs over the door and follows Magnus’s lead.

They run through the halls as quietly as possible until they come up short on a dead end. Alec starts to turn and run the way they came but Magnus reaches out and grabs his hand to stop him. Alec snatches his hand away quickly but the gesture does its job and he remains put. Magnus summons his magic and breaks through the wall, exposing the corridor with daylight.

Alec shields his eyes as he walks out of the hallway and into the light. He stops walking only a few feet from the building and drops his arm to turn his face into the light, breathing in the fresh air. It’s been over a year since he’s seen sunlight and he almost forgot what it looked like. He almost forgot what it felt like to be standing outside with the warmth washing over him. Magnus’s voice breaks through his moment of peace.

“Alec we have to keep moving forward. We’re still too close to the vampires and we have a lot of ground to cover before the light wanes.” Magnus has one foot forward like he’s about ready to dash off but he’s turned towards Alec like he’s concerned about the man.

Alec turns his head towards him and stares at him with the most furious and incredulous look Magnus has ever seen. “Why would I go anywhere with you?” he demands.

Magnus knows this is a sticky situation and knows he should be accepting of Alec’s concern and unwillingness to go but they have to _move_. He can hear the vampires running through the corridor and stopping just beyond the reach of sunlight and people on the street are starting to turn and look at them. Magnus snaps his fingers quickly to shield them from Mundane eyes. “I’m sorry, Alec, but we don’t have any choice.” He grabs Alec’s wrist and starts to drag him forward. The Shadowhunter is still fairly strong but when he’s not at his full power he’s no match for Magnus’s determination. Magnus drags Alec further from the vampire compound despite his struggling and fighting.

They get about a block away with the midafternoon sun bearing down on them before Magnus turns to Alec. Frustrated with the man digging his heels in, Magnus snaps his fingers and conjures Alec’s stele, bow, and quiver. He hands them over to Alec, who stands there looking at him in shock. “Look, Alec, I’m your only chance to save your sister and I’m not going to hurt you. But I need you to stay with me and stop protesting, ok? I promise I have a blade for you and will hand it over if you just promise to _walk_.”

Alec blinks at him, eyes wide and arms still in front of him as he holds the equipment Magnus passed over. Eventually, though, logic must win out and he realizes he won’t make it without Magnus because instead of holding an arrow to the warlock’s throat or outright shooting him Alec just draws a stamina rune on his arm, slings the quiver over his shoulder, and nods. “Lead the way,” he says in his no-nonsense tone.

Magnus turns around and keeps walking. He resists the urge to turn around and keep checking that Alec isn’t about to kill him and instead places a tremendous amount of trust in the Shadowhunter.

After about a half hour of walking Alec finally speaks. “Why can’t you just portal us to where Izzy is?”

Magnus jumps at his voice. It’s both louder and closer than he expected it to be and he feels his heart racing from the scare. He turns his head to the side and addresses Alec. “The United States is quarantined until further notice. The wards surrounding the borders allow warlocks to open portals within the Quarantine for communication but prevent open travel through them. The only portal we’ll be able to pass through is the one I’ll open at the border when we get to it. And even then, that only works if you have as much power as I do.”

Alec’s heart sinks and a feeling of hopelessness washes over him. Even if he and Isabelle had escaped on their own they never would have made it past the wards. They would have been trapped in the open with no steles, no weapons, and nowhere to go. He pushes past the pit in his stomach and asks, “Where is my sister?”

Magnus purses his lips. “Raphael sold her to the seelie clan in Washington. They live in the national park near the Canadian boarder.”

Alec doesn’t ask any more questions after that and Magnus decides it’s better to remain quiet. They walk silently through the streets of New York City and still don’t speak even when they clear the urban center.

\---

Alec doesn’t know what to make of Magnus. On the one hand, the warlock broke him out of the cell and gave him his bow and stele. On the other, he let Raphael torture him and didn’t stop him from selling Isabelle. There are plenty of things he wants to ask Magnus but after walking so much with so little sleep it’s all he can do to stay vertical and keep moving forward. The stamina rune isn’t doing much to help but he’s afraid to drawn another and clue Magnus in to his exhaustion.

He settles for watching Magnus closely. He wonders if this is the warlock’s way of making amends for Raphael’s treatment of the Lightwoods. Or maybe Magnus grew a conscious since coming to Raphael’s den. Or perhaps Magnus is luring Alec to the seelie clan so he can sell the other Shadowhunter off himself. Then again, if that were the answer why would Magnus give him his weapons? _Just give him the benefit of the doubt_ , Isabelle’s voice sounds in his mind. He smiles to himself.

If Izzy were there she would be questioning Magnus endlessly. By now, she would have found out Magnus’s motives for rescuing them, the fastest path to freedom, why Magnus didn’t do something to stop the unethical treatment of Shadowhunters, and a whole host of personal details from Magnus’s past. He imagines her bouncing along with them, sharing private details about Alec’s childhood, no doubt trying to set him up with their savior.

Magnus eventually stops in his tracks and Alec stops short behind him. “What are you doing?” he demands.

Magnus sighs. “You’re exhausted and we need to get settled before the sun falls. I can conjure some amenities for us here but I’m afraid it’s going to mostly be us sleeping under the stars.”

Alec looks up and sees the sun is about an hour from setting. He nods. “Fine.” He continues to hover even when Magnus snaps his fingers and conjures blue magic into the air around him. “What are you doing?”

“Setting up temporary wards around us. Something to mask our scent, a little glamour to make the humans turn away, shields to prevent tracking, and a cloaking spell so magical, mystical fun-beasts wouldn’t be able to see us even if they were right on top of us.” He turns to Alec with a smile. “Oh, and a suggestion that this area is a wide, deep pit that people have to walk around in case someone does decide to come looking. “He claps his hands together. “Now, what do you want for dinner?”

An hour later, Alec and Magnus sit across from each other. The only thing that separates them is a small but warm fire casting shadow across their faces. Magnus conjured cots and pillows and blankets for them to sleep on as well as a steaming dinner and fresh clothes. Alec hasn’t said anything since he drew a few runes onto his skin and sat down on the cot to meditate. Now, with a full stomach and clear mind, he narrows his eyes at Magnus and stars the inquisition.

“Why could the seelies portal Izzy but you can’t do the same?”

Magnus faces him calmly and accepts the questions fired off at him. “Seelie magic works differently. They don’t portal so much as bend the space around them. Your Isabelle was less transported and more displaced, like the earth around her shifted while she stayed put.”

“But warlock magic can’t do that.”

Even though it’s not a question, Magnus still responds. “Warlock magic can tunnel through space and spit you out on the other side but it cannot bend the space around you. You have to pass through to the other side, I can’t bring the other side to you.”

“Why did you save me?”

Magnus pauses. “I am not your enemy, Alec—“

“Alexander,” Alec corrects. It seems weird to have the warlock speak so casually with him.

Magnus corrects himself immediately. “I am not your enemy, Alexander. I may not be a friend to Shadowhunters but you have done no harm to my kind or me. And Raphael’s treatment of you grew out of line.”

Alec nods. He doesn’t miss the way Magnus dances around his question but he accepts the answer for now. There will be more time in the future to get the truth out of him. He yawns widely, arms lifting over his head and eyes closing with the intensity of his exhaustion.

“Get some sleep, Alexander,” Magnus tells him. Alec looks at the warlock warily but he just smiles back. “I am not your enemy,” he repeats, “and no harm will befall you at my hand. You have my word you will be safe tonight and every night on this journey. I vow to reunite you with your sister.”

Alec sits and stares at the warlock, deciding if he can actually trust him. His words are archaic and charged but there is still a question of if they are trustworthy. After a minute of deciphering every aspect to Magnus’s face, Alec nods and leans back on the cot.

His head barely hits the pillow before he’s asleep.

\---

The dreams come back with a vengeance.

_He’s standing in front of a room full of vampires who are all staring at him hungrily. A hand in his hair jerks his head to the side and then there are fangs in his neck. It’s warm and good and beautiful and he sinks into the touch, craving more. But then it burns, burns, burns and he can’t escape no matter how much he writhes and tries to break the vampire’s hold. And all he can see is Magnus standing there coldly watching and Isabelle’s pleading eyes begging for them to release her brother._

_The dream shifts and it’s Isabelle drifting away from him, reaching out to him, calling for him. He reaches out but instead of grabbing her he almost falls off the balcony of the coliseum. And he looks down just as the werewolf rips Jace’s head from his neck._

“ _Jace_!” Alec screams as he jolts out of his nightmare.

There’s a rustling noise to his left and then Magnus is crouching next to him, hands afire with magic as he surveys the land around them, searching for enemies. Alec’s outburst must have scared him into action, though Alec wonders how Magnus made it over to him so quickly.

Alec’s heart beats quickly in his chest but he doesn’t acknowledge the panic and adrenaline coursing through him. He’s learned by now to ignore it until it goes away.

Seeing no enemies, Magnus shakes his hands to disperse the magic and kneels a food away from Alec’s cot. He’s too close but Alec doesn’t say anything; as long as Magnus doesn’t try to touch him he’ll be ok. “What was that?” Magnus asks. His tone is soft but firm, politely demanding an explanation. He won’t be getting one.

Alec shakes his head. “Nothing.” He folds his legs under him and rests his palms on his knees to still his shaking hands, closing his eyes to meditate. He can feel Magnus’s presence still but hopes if he ignores him maybe he’ll return to his cot.

“Alec—“ Magnus begins.

Alec quickly cuts him off. “ _Alexander_.” His eyes open and he looks down his nose at Magnus. From their positions it’s like he’s looming down over the warlock. Somehow, though, the power dynamic feels off and for a split second he wishes they were eye to eye. Then the feeling is gone and replaced with exhaustion as the adrenaline finally dilutes in his bloodstream. He seems to deflate, shoulders sagging and expression softening to show how tired he is.

Magnus purses his lips for a minute and then nods. He stands and walks back over to his cot, lying down and turning his back to Alec. The Shadowhunter watches him for a moment longer, then reaches for his stele and draws a calm rune on his stomach, right next to the place where his parabatai rune used to be.

The effect is immediate, his body responding to the magic willingly. He takes a deep breath as it washes over him. Then, he lies back and stares up at the stars. After a few minutes his eyes close and sleep drags him under once again.

\---

Magnus wakes up before Alec just as the sun is rising. He sighs with relief and allows a few of the magical precautions to slip, the ones blocking vampires and other children of the night mostly. He didn’t realize how much of a power drain it would be but they have plenty of time to make it across America before fall rolls around and the nights get too long for him to mask their trail.

He rubs his eyes to work the sleep out and then looks across the now burnt-out fire. Alec’s mouth is slightly open but he makes no sound as he sleeps. His face is relaxed and calm and nothing like the pinched, pained face of the night before. Magnus wants to demand Alec tell him everything, but that’s not any way to win over his reluctant travel partner.

He sets about conjuring breakfast and hiding any evidence of their camp while he waits for Alec to wake. He doesn’t wait for long.

Alec shifts, rolls over, nearly falls off the cot, catches himself, and sits bolt upright all in the span of a few seconds. He blinks against the light of the sun and looks around for Magnus, who sits on his own cot buttoning his shirt. Magnus catches Alec’s eyes drop to the exposed skin of his chest, to his fingers fastening the buttons, then back up to his face. Alec’s cheeks turn pink and Magnus files that information away for later.

“Good morning, Alexander,” he says with a small smile on his lips.

Alec grumbles something unintelligible and looks down at the cot. He pats the blanket blindly before he finds his stele and draws over a black rune on his forearm. Magnus watches him close his eyes as the power flows through him. It’s an interesting sight, Magnus thinks. He’s never watched a Shadowhunter so closely before and it’s so intriguing to him. Alec is so sure when he draws it’s like he’s been tracing the same runes for years and could do it in his sleep. His shoulders sag and when he opens his eyes he looks more awake than he did before. Magnus wants to ask but doesn’t.

“Good morning, Magnus,” Alec says.

Despite the effects of the rune, Alec’s voice is still low and gravely from sleep. Magnus’s smile widens. “Here’s breakfast and a change of clothes. We should head out soon…we have a long distance to cover.” Magnus waves his fingers and a plate appears next to Alec. It sits on top of a white shirt and a pair of denim jeans.

Alec looks at the conjured items before turning inquisitive eyes on Magnus. “Why can you conjure things but can’t portal us?” Alec asks suspiciously. It’s like he’s trying to catch Magnus in a lie.

Magnus answers him as straightforward as possible. “Because people are difficult and things just go where I want them. Conjuring is less about moving through space and more about tying an invisible string to something and pulling. And before you ask, no, I can’t just conjure Isabelle. For one, I don’t know where she is. And for two, people have free will. When you try to conjure them bad things happen.”

“What sort of things?” Alec picks up the plate and begins to eat, seemingly placated by Magnus’s answer and deciding to trust the warlock for now.

Magnus shrugs. “Missing limbs, exploding heads…I heard a story once of a man getting turned inside out after his buddy got drunk and tried to conjure him. But that was just a rumor and never substantiated.”

Alec stares at him blankly.

“When you live as long as I have you walk a fine line between believing things people say because you’ve seen a lot and doubting what people say because the older you get the more creative you have to become in order to have fun.”

Alec goes back to eating and doesn’t comment so Magnus finishes cleaning up and dropping the wards. After a while, the sounds of Alec’s fork hitting the plate and chewing stop and Magnus assumes he’s finished so he turns around to finish banishing their camp. Only, Alec is in the middle of changing when Magnus turns around, so he gets an eyeful of naked Shadowhunter torso before Alec pulls the white shirt down and covers himself. “Turn around,” he demands gruffly. Magnus spins away but not before he catches the fresh blush on Alec’s cheeks.

“My apologies, Alexander,” Magnus calls over his shoulder.

The sounds of rustling clothing quiet and then Alec is calling to him, “You can look now.”

Magnus turns and smiles. “Oh good, I guessed your size right.” The shirt clings to Alec perhaps a little tightly but the jeans look almost tailor-fit. The dark line of Alec’s quiver strap stands out sharply against his chest but he looks more put together than he did the night before which is a pleasant change. “Ready to go?” At Alec’s nod, Magnus snaps his fingers and banishes their cots and blankets.

Once again, they set out across rural New York, neither one saying anything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think. Next chapter: “Are you and your sister close?” he asks nonchalantly. 
> 
> Alec looks at him with a blank expression. “Well, considering we were captured together and held as some bastardized version of gladiators for over a year I would say yeah, we’re pretty close.”


	5. Chapter Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Thursday! When I originally wrote this I didn't have any interludes with Isabelle but I'm thinking I might add them in...what do you all think? 
> 
> This chapter is pretty dialogue-heavy but it's important dialogue that fills in some of the plot holes and sets up events in later chapters. I hope you enjoy!

They walk for five hours in absolute silence before Magnus starts to feel like he’s losing his mind. It doesn’t take him long to decide to talk to Alec even if the Shadowhunter would prefer they make this journey in silence. “Are you and your sister close?” he asks nonchalantly.

Alec looks at him with a blank expression. “Well, considering we were captured together and held as some bastardized version of gladiators for over a year I would say yeah, we’re pretty close.” Though his tone is even his words drip with such pent up anger that Magnus puts another foot of space between them on his next stride.

“Why do you hate me so much?” Magnus asks, not thinking of the consequences of the question.

Alec almost stops in his tracks. “Why do I hate you so much?” His tone is carefully subdued. Magnus takes one look at him and realizes the mistake he made. “Aside from the fact that you and the other warlocks passively watched while the Downworlders overthrew and enslaved my people, you stood by and watched Raphael feed on me. You watched him _torture_ me. You watched him force my sister and me to fight for his entertainment. And then you let him sell my sister off to be bred like cattle!” His voice steadily rises until he’s shouting at Magnus.

Magnus averts his eyes. “You’re quite right, Alexander. Although there is more to the story than you realize.”  
  
“Cut the bullshit, Warlock. Your kind is all the same.” There’s so much hatred and venom to Alec’s words that Magnus stops walking. He reaches a hand out and grabs Alec’s wrist to stop him, too.

“Because I know those are not your words I will overlook them. You know only your part of the story, Alexander, and are biased toward your kind.”

Alec snatches his arm away and sneers at him. “You don’t know anything.”

Magnus huffs and rolls his eyes at the sky. “Oh come now, Alexander, I’m over three hundred years old. You must realize that I know _something_.” He snaps his fingers and conjures lunch on a table and two chairs around it. “Let’s stop for lunch and talk about this civilly.” He takes a seat and gestures to the other chair. “I promised I would help you find and rescue your sister. That will be much easier if we are on amicable terms.” Alec glares down at him. Magnus stares up at him for so long that his neck starts to ache, but eventually Alec takes a seat. “Shall I start at the beginning?”

“That’s generally where people start, yeah,” Alec snips back.

Magnus quirks an eyebrow and leans back in his seat. “Alright, the beginning it is. Shadowhunters and warlocks were once great allies, as I’m sure you’re aware—“

“Until your kind ruined the partnership with your—“

Magnus holds a hand up to stop Alec. “Please save your disparaging comment, Alexander, and cease with the interruptions.” Alec doesn’t say anything so Magnus continues. “We were once great allies until Valentine came into the picture. While he started assembling his following, the Clave began to teach its pupils that Downworlders were somehow lesser beings. Whatever lore you are taught in school was twisted into something righteous and superior. The Shadowhunter mission shifted, too. Your kind went from partners and protectors to police and enforcers.

“Your generation was taught this superiority. It has become so ingrained within you that you do not recognize your own bias. You were poisoned against me before we even met. Your parents are especially guilty of this.”

Alec cuts in again. “What did my parents ever do to you?”

Magnus resists the urge to snort. “Your parents decided they would lower themselves to work with me when it suited them. They used me for their own gain and treated me and my warlocks so poorly it’s a wonder I ever worked with them in the first place. Really, it was only to keep the frail peace between us that I ever lifted a finger for them.”

Alec frowns at him. “I know my parents aren’t perfect…” Alec flashes back to the night he was captured, when his mother fled to Idris and abandoned him to fight a losing battle, alone. At the time he thought she had a reason, that she needed to be in Idris in order to find a way to save them, but the longer he remained imprisoned the less he believed she was coming to save him. He can still see her as she walked through the portal, not even sparing a look back at her children.

Magnus scoffs. “They claim to behave the way they do in the name of the Clave and of Shadowhunters but really it’s because they are self-serving elitists.” He shifts forward in his seat and his tone becomes imploring. “Alexander, think. Do you really believe Shadowhunters are better than Downworlders? Even before the Uprising did you truly believe that with every fiber of your being?”

Alec folds his arms across his chest and looks down. “I’m a soldier. Soldiers are taught to follow orders.”

Magnus sits back in his chair again and resists the urge to roll his eyes. “You’re also a leader. And leaders are taught to think for themselves.” He shakes his head. “That’s enough for now. We should continue our journey as quickly as possible; we can talk more later if you wish.”

His tone brooks no argument, though Alec doesn’t seem to be putting up a fight. They eat quickly and then set out again.

\---

Everything is hazy when she wakes up with a splitting headache. Her arms and legs feel heavy and it’s difficult to lift her head to look around. She’s laying on something soft and her fingers curl around the fabric of whatever material she’s draped in. Beautiful and detailed scenes of fae battles and rituals cover the ceiling above her and stand out in stark detail against the dark brown of the crossbeams and wooden panels on the walls.

Isabelle tries to sit up and groans as the room shifts before her. She drops back down onto her back and presses her hand to her forehead. “Huh?” she asks incoherently.

There’s a gentle hand on her forearm that pulls her arm away and back down to her site. She opens her eyes and sees a beautiful seelie knight standing above her with a wet cloth in his hand. He presses it to her forehead and smiles down at her. “Try not to move. The first round is always the worst on the body but you’ll soon acclimate to it.”

She frowns at him and looks around for someone to help or, at the very least, to explain what is going on. “What?” she mumbles.

The knight continues to smile as he brushes the cool towel across her skin. “Just relax.” He runs his fingers through her hair and she closes her eyes as he soothes her. All of her instincts are screaming at her to resist the temptation to lie back and fall asleep but everything feels heavy and she finds it easier to listen to the low hum of his voice and give herself over to his touch in her hair. She hears someone else enter the room. “We have a long process to get through,” the seelie knight tells the other person. “She’s perfect, the one we’ve been waiting for, and we can’t afford any mistakes. Make sure you don’t screw this up.” His tone is harsh and demanding.

“Yes, sir, of course,” a woman’s voice replies.

“Rest now, Shadowhunter. We have big plans for you,” the knight whispers in Isabelle’s ear. The words swim through her head as she relaxes further into the mattress and falls asleep.

\---

“Why can’t we just take mundane transportation to get to Izzy?” Alec asks later that day. He’s spent most of the afternoon analyzing Magnus’s words and thinking about his position. He’s come to the conclusion that he needs to learn more about Magnus first in order to know if he should be believed. Then, he needs to hear more about what his parents _actually_ did before he makes any decisions about his position on Downworlders and Magnus especially. But right now, it’s easier to focus on the simple question of finding Isabelle and rescuing her.

“Well first and foremost, we are still too close to Raphael’s territory. After the uprising, Downworlders began revealing themselves to certain humans, bringing them into the fold to act as spies in the Mundane world. Anyone we talk to could be working for Raphael and could tip him off to our location. Once we get out of New York and out of Raphael’s territory we’ll be able to secure passage to at least get us closer to our final destination. Though we do need to be careful and stick to neutral territory when we do so.”

“Neutral territory?”

“Warlock territory mostly. I’ll know it once we cross the boundary. At the very least we should be able to get a car and drive most of the way. We’ll have to leave the car once we cross into Washington and travel by foot to the compound, however. Once we cross into seelie territory anyone we cross paths with could be a threat. We’ll have to stick to abandoned areas.”

Alec nods and goes back to musing silently.

“Can I ask you a question?”

Alec looks up and the expression on Magnus’s face is tentative. After the last question Magnus asked Alec doesn’t blame him. “What?”

“Who was the person in your nightmare last night? The one you called out for?”

Alec’s eyes darken and he shakes his head like he’s trying to rid himself of the nightmares that plague him. “I can’t talk about that.” Mercifully, Magnus doesn’t pry anymore. Alec decides to ask the question that’s been nagging at the back of his mind since he first asked it. “Why did you save me, Magnus?”

“I told you, Alexander, I’m not your enemy.”

“That’s not an answer.”

“Perhaps it’s the only one you’ll be getting.”

Alec clenches his fists in frustration. “You tell me to trust you and but you won’t answer this simple question?”

“It’s complicated, Alexander.” Magnus looks over at him. He seems to decide something because his expression hardens with resolve after a moment and he nods. “If you want the whole story well, I guess we have a long journey ahead of us, don’t we? Plenty of time for me to tell it. OK, here goes.

“Through whatever strange twist of fate, I cannot have children of my own. And when you’re immortal you begin to want things that give meaning to your life. Things you can care for over the centuries, things to remind you why life is worth living.”

“What does this have to do with me?” Alec asks.

Magnus holds up a hand to stave off his question. “Because I cannot have children of my own, I took to adopting strays, if you will,” he continues.

“Raphael was one of the first Downworlders I adopted. His sire had turned him on a whim as she made her way through Spain with no intention to care for him. Raphael emerged hungry and alone and stumbled onto one of my gatherings in the woods. He killed a handful of my guests before I stopped him. I would have killed him but he looked so scared and confused that I decided to take him in.

“I taught him about the Downworld, about what he was, about how to control the hunger, everything. He learned quickly and then, when he was ready, set out into the world on his own. We kept in touch over the decades but I didn’t worry about him. When I became the High Warlock of Brooklyn he followed me to New York and took up with my old paramour, Camille.”

Alec frowns. “The vampire who tried to challenge Raphael?”

“The very one. They didn’t quite get along but it was easier for Raphael to go along with Camille’s rule and start building his army than to challenge her outright at the very beginning. He staged his coup a little over two years ago and his clan ran her out of New York. After the Downworlder Uprising I left New York and cut communication with Raphael. I hadn’t spoken to him until a few days before Camille showed up. I sensed he needed my help and came as soon as I could.” Alec watches Magnus’s eyebrows furrow. “Raphael had changed.”

When Magnus doesn’t continue Alec prompts, “Changed how?”

He doesn’t reply for so long that Alec thinks they’re just dropping this conversation like the others, putting a pin in it for later. But Magnus finally tells him. “He’s so much darker now than when I knew him. The Raphael I raised still clung to his compassion like it was the last shred of his humanity. He helped raise other stray vampires and warlock children that I took in from time to time. But that light is gone now. I knew it from the moment he ripped Camille’s heart out.”

“Wait, if you knew it back then, what took you so long to rescue Izzy and me?” Whatever trust Magnus had started to build between them starts fraying as Alec realizes the time difference. If Magnus doubted Raphael for months why did it take so long for him to free them?

Magnus almost looks surprised at himself. “I thought he would change. I—I know it’s a weak argument but I honestly thought that with Camille gone he would go back to the kind man I once knew. But when he sold Isabelle I knew I had lost him entirely.”

Alec runs his hand through his hair and tries to tamp down his anger. “Isabelle and I almost died in the arena numerous times in the past few months but you were busy hoping he would _change_.”

“Well you’ll have to excuse me for holding out hope for someone I have cared about for over a century over two Shadowhunters I’d never met before.”

“So if Raphael hadn’t sold Izzy you would have let them continue to make us fight until one of us died?” Alec’s shouting again but he can’t help it. How is he supposed to trust Magnus if the warlock keeps giving him reasons not to? The more they talk the less he wants to be around him.

“Put yourself in my position, Alexander. If you had the choice to save two Downworlders from Isabelle, would you?” His question stops Alec for a moment but the second is all it takes. Magnus latches onto his hesitation and pounces. “Exactly, Alexander. I didn’t know you. For all I knew, you and Isabelle deserved to fight in the arena. For all I knew, you had killed Raphael’s people before. All I knew about you was that you were his prisoners and had killed one of his vampires the night I arrived.

“You are not better than me. You’re just as confused and know just as much as the rest of us. Do not let your Shadowhunter upbringing cloud your judgment and pollute your reasoning.”

Alec bristles. “You’re not unbiased yourself. Obviously you placed Raphael and the vampires over my sister and me, which means a part of you places Downworlders above Shadowhunters.”

Magnus nods. “You are correct. However, I recognize this bias. It grew out of many years of mistreatment, mostly by your parents.”

_There it is again_ , Alec thinks. “What exactly did my parents do to you, Magnus? You’re going to have to be explicit and specific.”

Magnus looks over at him. “Would you like my examples chronologically or by effect?” Alec glares at him until he continues. “Chronologically it is, then. I became the High Warlock of Brooklyn about fifty years ago and brought my following with me. I established my club and my territory quickly and had a wonderful relationship with the head of the Institute back then. Twenty years later, your parents assumed control of the Institute and their first order of business was to blackmail me into creating portals for them.”

“What do you mean they blackmailed you? I thought you warlocks always demand a high price for services.”

Magnus nods. “Most do. But before your parents took control I always just helped the Shadowhunters at the Institute. I grew smart after what your parents did to me.” He pauses as if to collect himself before continuing. “When your parents took control they quietly expanded their range and territory. _Coincidentally_ ,” he says sarcastically, “that expansion crossed my borders and they snatched up three of my children for trespassing and attempted invasion. They told me they would return my children if I created portals for the Institute. Else, they would be executed.”

Alec shakes his head. “My parents couldn’t have done that. It breaks the Accords.”

Magnus chuckles. “Ah yeas, the Accords. Funny little rules easily manipulated by Shadowhunters for their own gain. Oh, did I forget to say your parents executed one of my children because I didn’t respond quickly enough?” When Alec looks at him, Magnus’s eyes are dark and his shoulders are rigid with suppressed rage. “The only people the Accords protect are Shadowhunters.”

“My parents always told me the Accords were in place to protect Mundanes above all else,” Alec says, almost to himself.

Magnus chuckles. “I would hope by now you’ve realized your parents told you a great many things that may not be true.”

A piece of Alec wants to resist everything Magnus has told him. It wants to go back to the way he was before the Uprising, where his life centered around the teachings of the Clave and believed that Shadowhunters were a force for good, unbiased and benevolent protectors of the Mundane world. But the things Magnus tells him ring true and he can’t help but believe them. Especially in the face of things he’s been wondering about lately, he has to take what Magnus says to heart.

Then again, Magnus could be trying to pollute him against the Clave for reasons of his own. Alec wrestles with these two dueling factors for the rest of the afternoon and into the night. When he shuts his eyes for sleep, he’s still not sure which side will win out against the other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think. Next chapter: Magnus wakes in the middle of the night fully alert but, for a moment, unsure of why. Then his ears pick up the quiet rustling of the grass just outside of their perimeter and he senses danger.


	6. Chapter Six

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For some strange reason I am still awake and so you're getting this chapter right at the stroke of midnight on Sunday! This chapter is a little fluffier (I can't help it) and there's some "blink and you'll miss it" fake relationship (I couldn't help that either). I'm also a touch tipsy so if there are any mistakes at the end I apologize. I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Magnus wakes in the middle of the night fully alert but, for a moment, unsure of why. Then his ears pick up the quiet rustling of the grass just outside of their perimeter and he senses danger. He looks around for the source but the moon is just a sliver over their heads and there are no lights around to help him see.

Kicking himself for not adding an illumination aspect to his wards, Magnus slides from his cot and moves silently over to Alec, quietly trying to jostle him awake. He puts a finger to his lips when he sees Alec’s eyes open in the dim light, confused but aware. Alec nods and raises an eyebrow in question.

As an answer, Magnus rolls his wrist through the air and conjures the hilt to Alec’s angel blade. He hands it over without hesitation in an extreme show of trust, one that makes Alec’s debate from the previous day become a little easier to resolve. As soon as Alec’s fingers close around the hilt, the blade materializes and begins to glow. Magnus’s hands illuminate, too, when he calls his magic forward and the faint blue light illuminates their faces. They have a second to prepare themselves before all hell breaks loose.

Magnus feels his wards around the camp break and jumps to his feet, already throwing magic at the vampires swarming in. It connects with one of the vampires and it bursts into flames but another quickly takes its place. _Leave it to Raphael to send a veritable swarm,_ Magnus thinks. As he fights, Magnus keeps an ear out for Alec, hears him somewhere off to his left. He sounds fine, but Magnus catches movement out of the corner of his eye and turns his head to see a vampire coming up behind Alec. “Duck!” Magnus shouts, throwing magic and catching the vampire in the heart, turning him to dust. Alec spares a startled expression before they jump back into the fight.

Despite the shear numbers of the vampires, the battle ends quickly. After Alec runs the last vampire through and turns it to dust, Magnus wipes sweat from his brow and surveys their camp. “We need to keep moving,” he says in between long, steadying breaths. Alec nods.

With a wave of his hand Magnus banishes all evidence of their presence and they set out quickly, both still on high alert. “Thank you,” Alec whispers. His grip is tight on his sword and his eyes scan the horizon. He grabs his stele and activates his night vision rune.

Magnus nods, his cat eyes darting across terrain around them. “I should have returned your sword a while ago.” His magic prickles behind his fingertips, ready to be called forth at the first sign of danger, and he rubs his thumb against them to try and calm the tension.

“No, not just for the sword. Thank you for saving me back there.”

Magnus looks over and sees Alec’s earnest eyes boring into his. He smiles. “Of course, Alexander. I told you, I’m not your enemy.”

Alec nods. “I’m finally starting to believe that.”

\---

By sunrise they cross into new Warlock territory and Magnus conjures a quick breakfast and change of clothes when they stop. They reach the nearest town by noon. “What kind of car are we getting?” Alec asks as the front door of the rental agency shuts behind them. He pulls at the sleeves of his shirt and wishes he had let Magnus talk him into covering up his runes better. Most of them are hidden but there wasn’t much he could do about the block rune on his neck. As they walk up to the counter he notices the clerk staring.

Magnus shrugs. “Nothing too ostentatious. Something that will blend in.” He puts his hand in his pocket and conjures his wallet. “Stop fidgeting,” he chastises quietly and grabs Alec’s hand before the step up to the counter. He feels Alec freeze next to him.

“Hello, welcome in! My name is Louis. What can I help you with today?” The gentleman behind the counter looks overly cheerful, like he’s trying to cover up his own discomfort with the cheerful distraction. His gaze alternates between their clasped hands and Alec’s rune. Magnus tries not to narrow his eyes at him.

Magnus smiles widely and then turns the expression to Alec. “My boyfriend and I are taking a cross-country trip,” he says to the employee even though he doesn’t take his eyes off of Alec’s. “We’re looking to rent a car for the journey.” Alec looks like he’s frozen in shock so Magnus squeezes his hand and turns to the employee. “It’s our first vacation together. He’s a little nervous,” Magnus whispers conspiratorially.

The employee forces a chuckle and looks seriously put-off by the scene in front of him. “Cross-country? What kind of vehicle were you looking to rent?”

Magnus looks back up at Alec. “What do you think, honey? Should we go with the Camaro this time?” He squeezes Alec’s hand again until he responds.

“Uh-um, no not this time, uh, _sweetie_.” Alec tries and fails to act casual. Magnus suppresses the urge to roll his eyes.

“He still hasn’t gotten used to how extravagant my lifestyle is,” Magnus says to Louis. “Something simple will do, then. Whatever you have that’s ready to go. We’re just _dying_ to get on the road.”

Louis plasters the fake smile onto his face and nods. “Let me check on something for you. I’ll be right back.” He enters something into the computer before grabbing a set of keys and walking away.

Alec turns wide eyes on Magnus who, for his part, only smiles and shakes his head fondly. “You really need to work on your acting, Angel. I thought you people go undercover often?” He pretends to pick a piece of lint off of Alec’s shirt so he can stand close and keep his voice low.

Alec huffs and pushes at Magnus’s hand. “I don’t know what you’re doing but—“ he hisses. Magnus cuts him off.

“I’m blending in and making sure no one asks too many questions. Now hush.” He turns back to Louis as he makes his way over to them.

“We have a black Subaru Outback for you if you think that’ll suit your needs,” he says while holding up a key fob. He looks desperate for them to say yes.

Magnus nods. “That’ll do nicely, thank you.”

Louis hands over the keys. “I’ll just need a driver’s license from both of you and a method of payment.”

Magnus hands over a license and credit card. “I’m the only driver.”

Louis nods. “We’ll have you out of here shortly.” From his expression, Magnus thinks it might not be soon enough.

\---

Once they have the keys and are on the road in Pennsylvania headed west, Alec sighs and sags in his seat. “What was that?”

Magnus glances over at him quickly. “What was what?”

Alec rolls his eyes. “Don’t play dumb, Magnus.”

Magnus’s grip on the steering wheel tightens and he responds after a minute of silence. “The clerk was looking at us funny as soon as we walked in. People around here tend to be fairly bigoted and so, in order to prevent him from asking questions and to get us out of there as soon as possible, I made him believe we were dating. Plus, since Raphael sent his clan after us he’s probably spread word about a warlock and a Shadowhunter traveling together. But, it’s unlikely that a Shadowhunter and warlock would be dating so anyone looking for that duo would have been thrown off by our closeness and looked elsewhere.” _Hopefully_ , he adds in his head, _though I also just wanted to know what your hand felt like in mine_. “I apologize for just assuming you would play along.”

Alec shrugs and misses Magnus’s internal monologue. “It was ok. I was more confused by what was going on.” _And distracted by your hand in mine. If Izzy was there I never would have heard the last of it._

Neither one has anything else to say and it’s quiet in the car for a while. Then, Magnus reaches out and turns on the radio until he finds a station he likes. Alec makes a face at the top 40s music blasting through the speakers and turns the volume down. “No. Veto.”

“What’s wrong, Alexander?”

“I can’t handle listening to the same songs played over and over again for hours. All anyone at the Institute would listen to was the same pop music during workouts and it drove me crazy. We’re going to have to find something else to listen to.”

Magnus gestures to the radio. “Have at it.”

Alec turns the dial until he finds a station playing eighties music. Magnus quirks an eyebrow at the selection but doesn’t object. After listening to Fleetwood Mac serenade them, Magnus comments, “I didn’t peg you for an eighties fan.”

Alec looks down at his hands. “Yeah, well there’s a lot you don’t know about me.”

Magnus sighs. “Just when I thought we were making progress,” he mumbles to himself, barely audible over the music. If Alec hears him he doesn’t comment, and they pass the rest of the afternoon in silence. It doesn’t occur to Magnus that Alec’s comment was more of an invitation to get to know him than a derisive comment on their relationship.

\---

“I tried to stop Raphael.” The words are soft, barely cutting over the radio, but Alec hears them like they’re a shout. They’ve been driving through Ohio for hours and he’s been staring out at the miles and miles of cornfields not really seeing them, thinking about his sister and also wondering why he’s starting to trust Magnus. He tears his eyes away from the window and looks at the warlock.

“When?”

“Before he bit you. I tried to tell him it was excessive and too much but…” he trails off. Alec nods and looks away again.

“But it was easier to let him because you didn’t want to start a fight for a Shadowhunter you didn’t even know.”

“I saw true terror in your and your sister’s eyes that night. I don’t think I wanted to acknowledge it then, but that’s one of the reasons why I freed you. I didn’t stop Raphael when I had the chance and I kept looking away until it was too late to do something then.” He turns his head to look at Alec. “But I’m doing something now. I can’t change what I did but I can change the way I respond moving forward.”

Alec can’t tell who he’s trying to convince more, but there’s sincerity in his eyes in a way that makes Alec believe him. So he nods. “Ok.”

“Ok?”

Alec looks out the window and smiles. “Ok.”

\---

“Princess,” the melodic voice calls to her. If she was in her right mind she would hear the taunting lilt in his voice, would be wary of the desire within her to turn towards him, but she hasn’t felt like herself in days. She opens her eyes and sits up slowly, like she’s moving through pudding and it takes every ounce of her strength and concentration to do that much.

Isabelle smiles at the knight standing in front of her. “Hello,” she greets with a giggle. He reaches out, takes her hand in his, brings it to his lips, and kisses the back of it. She giggles some more. “Have you brought…me more flowers?” she asks. The words take a while to form and she stops in the middle of the short sentence, having lost her way, but the knight is patient and waits.

“I have, Princess,” he responds. He pulls his hand from behind his back and presents her with a crown of woven daisies. “Do you like it?” Isabelle smiles widely and nods. She ducks her head so he can rest the crown on her hair. “Beautiful, Princess,” he tells her.

“Thank you, Meliorn” she replies.

Meliorn leans in and kisses her forehead. “You must sleep again, Princess.” He looks in her eyes as he tells her and brushes his fingers across her cheek. “Only a few more treatments and then you’ll be perfect.”

Isabelle pouts. “I’m tired of sleeping,” she complains.

He smiles knowingly. “It’ll all be over soon, Princess. We have big plans for you.” He kisses her forehead again and helps her lie back down. “Rest,” he commands gently. She closes her eyes and feels his thumb brushing across the back of her hand. It’s soothing and quickly lulls her back under.

\---

Somewhere between Michigan and North Dakota they become friends. It happens slowly, neither one really catching it until they’re driving through Fargo, North Dakota and laughing as they tell stories. They realize the conversation hasn’t really lulled since they started driving that day.

When they stop for the night Magnus thinks now might be a good time to ask. “So, Alexander, there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you.” Alec hums in response. “Who is Jace?” Alec’s eyes go dark and he looks down so Magnus continues. “You’ve had a number of nightmares since we started our journey and I haven’t said anything since the first one but…” he trails off. “But I’m worried about you.”

Alec looks up at him, eyes wide and vulnerable. “I haven’t even told Izzy yet,” he says quietly.

“Why not?”

Alec sighs. “You know what a parabatai is, right?” Magnus nods. “Jace was mine. We grew up together in the Institute because my family adopted him when we were young. He was my best friend and brother.”

Alec’s eyebrows furrow and tears start to well in his eyes but his voice retains the eerie calmness of trained Shadowhunters. “And then Raphael captured all of us and forced Jace and his partner, Clary, to fight a werewolf pack without their powers or weapons.” His eyes close. “My bond pulled me to him and I watched as werewolves killed him.” His voice cracks on the last words and he rams his palms into his eyes, trying to hold the pain and loss inside. But it’s too much, he’s been holding onto it alone for too long, and tears spill out.

Magnus watches, stunned, as this incredibly strong Shadowhunter breaks down in front of him. At first he doesn’t know what to do, but when the first sobs escape Alec’s lips Magnus stands and walks over to his cot. He pulls Alec into his arms and strokes his hair. Alec buries his face in Magnus’s neck and wraps his arms around his waist, holding on for dear life.

Magnus shushes him and strokes his hair and shoulders, soothing him in his agony. Eventually Alec pulls himself together but Magnus doesn’t pull away. “I’m so sorry, Alexander,” he whispers. “If I had known—“

Alec shakes his head. “You didn’t. There was nothing any of us could do.” His voice sounds rough from crying. “This is the first time I’ve said it out loud.”

Magnus frowns into the distance. “You’ve been keeping it all inside for your sister. No wonder you’ve been having nightmares. I wish I could change it all, Alexander.”

He sounds so sincere that Alec looks up at him. “I believe you.”

Magnus wipes at the tear trails on his cheeks. “I wish there was something I could do.”

Alec smiles sadly even as a small blush forms where Magnus’s fingers had been. He pulls back. “But there isn’t.” He looks down at Magnus’s wet collar and neck and blushes more. “Sorry about…” he makes a vague gesture to the imprint of his face on Magnus’s shirt.

Magnus looks down and then shrugs it off. “Don’t be.” He frowns because he realizes he misses Alec being so close. With his eyes downcast he misses a similar expression pass across Alec’s face.

“Can we talk about something else?” Alec asks.

Magnus looks up and smiles at him. “Of course! Have I told you about the month I spent in my opium den in the 50s?”

Alec smiles and shakes his head. “No! By all means…”

The night becomes easier after that, a weight lifted off of Alec’s shoulders. But beneath that, both of them realize that something has changed in their relationship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Next chapter: "Knowing the plan is the most important part of any mission.” Magnus doesn’t comment, though when Alec looks over he sees Magnus biting his lower lip like he wants to.


	7. Chapter Seven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A few new tags have been added and things between Alec and Magnus are heating up! I'm so glad to see you're all enjoying this story as much as I am...I fixed a few mistakes from the last chapter and have proofread this one extensively, so hopefully there aren't too many grammar errors. But if you notice any glaringly obvious ones let me know! 
> 
> Without further adieu, I hope you enjoy chapter seven.

Their journey is sidetracked again when they pass into Idaho. For the past few days as they made their way out of North Dakota and through Montana they’ve been planning their raid on the Seelie compound. “Ok, let’s go over the plan again.”

Magnus chuckles. “Are we going to do this every morning?”

“Every morning until we’re ready to go get her, yes. Knowing the plan is the most important part of any mission.” Magnus doesn’t comment, though when Alec looks over he sees Magnus biting his lower lip like he wants to. It takes Alec a second to pull his gaze from Magnus’s lips. “The plan,” he begins again, “is to go into the compound at midday.”

“Seelies are creatures of transition. They are strongest during twilight and dawn and weakest in between. If we go in during the day we prevent the unlikely but not entirely impossible army of vampires attacking at night.”

“The first thing is to make sure you can find Izzy, so I’ll keep the Seelie knights distracted while you locate her.”

“Then we storm the compound, rescue the princess, and flee north to Canada. When we’re at the border I can create a portal to allow us passage through the wards. Then I’ll portal you to Idris.”

“Portal _us_ to Idris,” Alec corrects.

Magnus looks away from the road and catches his eyes, stunned. Then, he recovers and a soft smile spreads across his lips. “Portal _us_ to Idris.”

Alec nods. When he looks back out the window he sees the Idaho state sign fly past them on the side of the road. “Looks like we made it to another state! How much farther do we have?”

“Not long. It shouldn’t take much more than an hour for us to get through Idaho and into Washington, where we’ll ditch the car and travel on foot to the compound in the Cascades National Park. It’ll probably take us a week to get there.” He hears Alec sigh and asks, “What’s wrong?”

“It’s just…it’s taken us so long already. Who knows what they’ve done to her by now? I…I guess I never understood how much I depended on portals until now.”

“We have time, Alexander. They won’t pair her off right away, especially if she fights them off the way I think she might. Your sister is strong, Alexander. She’ll be alright until we get there.”

Alec doesn’t say anything else for a while. They drive through Idaho in silence until Magnus sees the Washington sign in the distance and tells him, “Almost to Washington.” Before Alec can respond, Magnus suddenly loses control of the car and it starts spinning out of control on the highway. “What’s going on?” Alec yells at Magnus, panicking. He’s holding onto the grip bar hanging from the roof of the car so tightly his knuckles are white. He looks over to Magnus, who has one hand on the wheel and the other snapping his fingers trying to use his magic to regain control.

“We’re under attack!” Magnus tells him, trying to remain calm even as they careen down the road, only narrowly missing the other cars. “Alec I need your strength, I’m not strong enough on my own to fight this magic.” He holds out his hand and Alec doesn’t think twice before gripping it tightly.

“Take what you need,” he tells him, putting all of his trust in the warlock. He feels Magnus start to draw on his power, his fingers tingling from the exchange. It must work because Magnus turns the wheel and slams on the brake, pulling the car to a stop on the side of the road. Alec looks over at him, breathing heavily, but Magnus doesn’t let his hand go until he’s thrown wards up around them.

Magnus releases his hand and shuts the car off. “Out. I’m climbing over the console and coming out right behind you,” Magnus commands. Alec doesn’t question him.

They climb out of the car and run away from it as quickly as possible. Over the sound of cars on the highway, Alec hears a low rushing sound behind them. He grabs his bow, turning to see a demonic bird flying at them. Without a second thought he nocks an arrow and lets it fly, hitting the hellspawn in the eye and sending it bursting into flames. Magnus has stopped running and stands just behind his right shoulder. Alec can feel his breath on the back of his neck. “Think the Seelies know we’re coming for them?” Alec says sarcastically.

He throws his bow back over his shoulder and turns to check on Magnus, who is doubled over and clutching his head. “Magnus!” Alec kneels in front of him and puts a hand on Magnus’s. “What’s wrong?”

“Just—I just used—too much,” Magnus huffs out between shaky breaths.

Alec takes his hand and slides their fingers together, gripping him tightly. “Take what you need.”

Magnus looks down at their entwined hands. “It’s going to take a while for me to recuperate without completely draining you, Alexander.”

Alec smiles. “Well then I guess we’ll just have to hold hands until you’re strong again.” He stands and pulls Magnus upright. “Come on, we’re almost to the border. Just one more week, right?”

Magnus looks wary but starts trudging along the side of the road with him. He squeezes Alec’s fingers lightly. “Right.”

“This is nice,” Alec says after a few minutes.

Magnus chuckles softly. Alec is pleased to see some of the color is coming back to his cheeks. “What is? The feeling of me slowly sucking the energy from you?”

Alec tilts his head in acquiescence and chuckles, too. “Well I can’t say I don’t like the slight tingling sensation. But no. Holding your hand is nice.”

“You can feel me drawing your power?”

“You look surprised,” Alec notes, confused. “Is that not normal?”

Magnus’s eyebrows rise. “Not entirely, no. Especially since I’m not drawing a lot of power at once. Theoretically you shouldn’t be able to feel anything at all right now.”

“What does it mean that I can?”

“I—well I don’t know, actually. This is the first time in three hundred years anyone has called me out on this.”

“I guess that means I’m pretty special.” He turns his head up to the sky and scouts for any attackers. He misses the awe in Magnus’s smile cased by his statement.

They make it into Washington and break form the major highway in an effort to keep out of sight. Alec traces a few of his runes to prevent tracking as best he can and keeps a sharp eye out for any potential attackers. Now that they’re fully in Seelie territory anything could happen.

When they settle in for the night Magnus finds his magic mostly recuperated. He drops Alec’s hand reluctantly. “Thanks for the, uh, boost,” he says awkwardly.

“Anytime,” Alec replies, equally as awkward.

Magnus turns and starts to set up wards around them. He gets through the basic protections, throws in a couple to defend against Seelie magic just for kicks, and then goes about conjuring their camp. He makes it almost all the way through the spell before he gets light headed and sways on his feet. Most of their camping gear makes it through but he loses his connection on one of the cots and feels it slip through space, landing somewhere in the middle of Lake Superior.

He can’t quite catch himself and feels his left foot slide out from under him, the world turning at an angle as he falls. Luckily, Alec is nimble on his feet. He catches Magnus and lowers them to the ground, looking down with concern clear on his face. His breath catches in his throat as Magnus’s cat eyes catch his own. “Magnus—“

“I’m alright, Alexander.” He smiles wearily up at Alec. “Apparently I’m not as charged up as I thought I was. Nothing a full night’s sleep won’t cure.” He turns his gaze on their camp and groans, closing his eyes. “Or half a night’s sleep.”

Alec shakes off his astonishment at seeing Magnus’s true eyes and responds, “What do you mean?” He hasn’t let Magnus go yet and is still looking at him with wide eyes.

“I lost control when my magic started to fail and only one cot made it,” he waves his hand at the space where the other cot should be. “I guess we’ll just have to sleep in shifts.”

“That’s ridiculous, Magnus. We can just share the one cot. Sure it’ll be a tight squeeze but one of those is plenty big enough for the two of us.” Alec brushes his fingers across Magnus’s forehead. “Besides, being close to me will help you regain your strength, right?”

Magnus huffs, trying to fight the giddy feeling in his stomach from the thought of sleeping curled up next to Alec. “Sounds like I don’t have any choice in the matter.”

Alec rolls his eyes. “Well we’re both exhausted from nearly getting killed and then having the strength sucked out of us but sure, if you want to split the night instead of healing don’t let me stop you.”

“You’re pretty pushy, you know?”

“Yeah, Izzy’s been known to say that from time to time.”

They both smile. “Fine, I suppose the cot will do.” Magnus yawns, cementing his point. “Let’s get off this hard ground.”

With Alec’s help they make their way over to the cot and the dinner Magnus managed to materialize before it all went to shit. Alec keeps sneaking glances over at him like he’s worried he’ll disappear or keel over. Magnus does his best to sit upright and not sway. “Your, um, eyes are beautiful,” Alec says quietly, breaking the silence.

Magnus gasps slightly and reaches up to rub his eyes. “My glamour must have dropped when I lost control.”

He looks troubled so Alec asks, “What’s wrong?”

“No one’s ever told me my Warlock mark was beautiful.” When he drops his hand he reveals a light blush to his cheeks.

Alec smiles to himself and goes back to eating. “Alright, come here. I can tell you’re about to pass out,” Alec demands. He takes both of their empty plates and sets them on the ground before reclining back on the cot. He holds his arms out for Magnus.

“I’m coming. I’m coming,” Magnus huffs. He slowly lowers himself to the cot with his back to Alec. Strong arms wrap around him and pull their bodies close together. He can feel Alec’s breath against his ear.

“How’s this?” Alec asks quietly.

Magnus feels the question more than hears it. He considers, shifts a little, and then slides his hand into Alec’s, holding it close to his chest. “This is good.” His breathing slows to match Alec’s and the steady rhythm starts to lull him to sleep. Just when he’s on the precipice, he feels Alec’s lips press against his neck. It’s so soft he can almost pretend it didn’t happen. Except that he doesn’t want to pretend. “Alexander…”

Alec stiffens behind him and goes absolutely still. Magnus can almost imagine him thinking if he pretends to be invisible they can pretend it didn’t happen. He maneuvers onto his back and looks up at Alec, their hands still intertwined but now resting on his stomach. The fire casts enough light to throw shadows on Alec’s downturned face so Magnus can’t fully see the expression he wears. But he can guess at the tightness of his eyes, the slight downward draw of his lips, the crinkle between his eyebrows all indicating his panic, even regret at his decision.

Magnus brushes his thumb across the back of Alec’s knuckles. “Are your fingers still tingling?” he asks.

Alec wasn’t expecting the question. “Y-yes?”

Magnus nods. “What about your wrist?” he asks as he slides his free hand over Alec’s wrist.

“Yeah.”

Magnus walks his fingers up Alec’s forearm and curls his fingers around his bicep. “And here?” Alec’s eyes follow his movements. He hums in affirmation instead of responding. Magnus watches Alec’s eyes close as he brushes his fingers over his neck and traces his hairline around until he feels the bump of Alec’s spine. “What about here?”

“ _Yes_ ,” Alec whispers back. His eyes open and catch Magnus’s gaze, hold it. For a moment there’s nothing but their entwined fingers, Magnus’s middle finger drawing circles on the back of his neck, their faces turned towards each other. Then, so slowly Magnus wonders if time itself has ceased its normal progression, Alec leans down and presses their lips together.

It lasts for only a few seconds and then Alec is pulling away and smiling down at Magnus. He watches as Alec’s tongue swipes across his bottom lip, teeth chasing the movement as he draws it into his mouth. “Still feel that tingling sensation?”

Alec shakes his head. “I think so, but we better try it again to be sure.” A grin breaks out across Magnus’s lips right before Alec leans down again. Their lips connect and part and touch again as they find new configurations but it’s a slow kind of exploration, one tinged in exhaustion and a bit of disbelief at their reality. If you had asked either one a year ago where they thought they would be now, this would have been the farthest from their minds.

Alec pulls back with a smile, eyes shining with joy as he looks down at the tired warlock. “You need to get your rest, Magnus,” he chastises when Magnus tries to chase his lips.

“Hey, you started it,” he says without heat. His muscles feel lax and his brain feels cloudy. His whole body is warm and pliant after the kiss.

“And I don’t start things I can’t finish.” Alec urges him to roll over again and pulls him in tight. Their hands, still linked, rest on Magnus’s chest. “Goodnight, Magnus,” Alec whispers against his ear.

Magnus brings their hands to his mouth and brushes his lips against the back of Alec’s hand. “Goodnight, Alexander.”

\---

Alec stays awake for a while longer after he’s sure Magnus has fallen asleep. _Magnus really isn’t a bad guy_ , he can almost hear Izzy say. _He’s had plenty of opportunities to betray you_ , _could have sold you to another warlock or vampire clan, could have killed you and been done with it, but he hasn’t_.

_He could still betray me_ , Alec supposes.

_Do you really think he would?_ He can almost see Izzy’s expression.

_No_ , he finds himself thinking. Magnus seems to care about him.

His lips still tingle from their kiss. With his eyes closed he can almost still feel the press of Magnus’s lips on his and it’s enticing in a way he’s not used to. He wants to kiss Magnus again and again.

Alec presses his face into Magnus’s neck and breathes deeply. His skin is so warm and soft against Alec’s cheek. Their hands rise and fall with each breath Magnus takes, Alec’s fingers brushing against Magnus’s chest where he can feel his heart beating steadily. He starts to count the beats and slowly falls asleep to its rhythm.

\---

Waking up the next morning is momentarily disorienting. Alec hasn’t slept well since Isabelle was taken, waking up in the middle of the night from a nightmare or just tossing and turning, sick with worry. So he’s surprised to open his eyes and see the sun cresting over the horizon, the rays turning the sky orange and red, and find he slept straight through the night. Magnus is still asleep, curled up in front of him like he was the night before, and Alec can’t help but lean down and brush his lips against his neck.

A part of him, the part that’s willing to pretend Isabelle is safe and they’re just two people in the world, wants to stay like that until Magnus wakes up on his own. That part of him wants to see Magnus roll over slowly and blink his eyes open, look up at him still groggy, lean up for a soft morning kiss that maybe turns into more.

The other part of him, the larger part that’s full of concern and worry for his sister, knows they can’t wake up normally, that they can’t have the slow morning until Isabelle is safe. _Maybe not even then,_ a voice in the back of his mind whispers. He tamps down on it and works on waking the warlock. “Magnus,” he says gently as he squeezes his hand, still entwined on Magnus’s chest. Magnus groans and shifts but doesn’t stir. “Magnus, wake up,” Alec tries again.

“Hm?” Magnus hums, squinting his eyes against the sunlight. “Morning already?” His voice is gravely with sleep but he sounds well rested and better than he did the night before.

“Morning already,” Alec confirms. Magnus releases the grip on his hand and he flexes his stiff fingers, wincing slightly at the ache. “Feeling better?” He waits for Magnus to shift and push himself into a sitting position before rolling off the other side of the cot and raising his arms above his head to stretch.

“Much better. Thanks for the boost.” Magnus looks at Alec over his shoulder and smiles.

Magnus’s glamour is back up and Alec watches his brown eyes fall from Alec’s face to the line of skin visible where his shirt rides up. Alec smirks. “Anytime,” he replies, dropping his arms to his sides but not quite fixing the shirt. “Think you’re rested enough to scrounge us up some breakfast?”

Magnus stands and tilts his head to the side, cracking his neck. He also cracks his knuckles, then shakes his hands out and wiggles his fingers. Alec sees blue sparks bounce between his digits as he assesses his energy stores. “Damn, Alexander. After sleeping with you I feel super-charged.” He winks at Alec who rolls his eyes. Then, Magnus snaps his fingers and conjures them two plates full of eggs and vegetables and sausage.

“How did you sleep last night?” Magnus asks after breakfast is over and he’s sent their camp away. He sounds nonchalant but also a little hesitant, like he’s afraid of Alec’s answer.

Alec waits until they’ve started walking to respond. “That was the best night’s sleep I’ve gotten since Izzy was taken. Maybe even before then,” he admits honestly. He tilts his head back and breathes deeply as a warm breeze blows across his face. “No nightmares of Jace or Izzy, no waking up in the middle of the night to check if maybe it was all a dream anyways, no tossing and turning wondering if Izzy is ok.” A peaceful smile passes across his lips. “Just sleep and the warmth of your body against mine.”

He glances over at Magnus out of the corner of his eye and catches a rare moment of vulnerability flash across his face. “You are full of surprises, Alexander.”

They keep walking but Magnus notices a strange expression on Alec’s face. “Penny for your thoughts?” he asks.

Alec considers for a moment before he crosses his arms behind his back. “I’m going to tell you a story,” he begins, “I think it’s about time I shared with you. It’s not a very happy one, fair warning, though not much in my life has been happy.” He takes a deep breath before continuing. “I first knew I was gay when I was ten years old and training with Jace. He—“ Alec smiles fondly. “He was a little shit the whole time, making fun of me for how small and inexperienced and rigid I was. I always played by the rules and he beat me every time we sparred.

“As we grew up I got stronger and faster. He taught me how to loosen up and bend rules when the need arose. And then things were complicated when we got our parabatai marks because I was falling in love with him. After that day, whenever we were in the middle of a battle, I could feel him inside of my brain and my body. It felt like I was always tied to him and, really, it didn’t help my attraction to him.

“My parents tried to marry me off to a Shadowhunter from Idris a few months before the Uprising. She was nice and beautiful and, most importantly, carried the favor of the Clave. But she would have been miserable with me. I wouldn’t have been able to give her what she needed and it wouldn’t have been fair to either of us.

“And then the Uprising happened and we were taken and Jace died and my world caved in. Everything became about survival, about making sure Izzy made it through, and what I felt and what I needed became even more irrelevant than it ever was before.” Magnus’s fingers brush against the back of his hand and he turns his palm. Their fingers slot together easily.

“I’m sorry, Alexander,” Magnus says quietly.

Alec shakes his head. “It’s—I just thought you should know. It’s my whole life story boiled down into five minutes but, I—despite everything that’s happened in the short time I’ve known you, I feel very close to you.” He shakes his head as if brushing all of his past off and tries to smile. “Besides, we are going to find Izzy and rescue her soon. And then we’ll be in Idris together.” Alec looks over at Magnus but his face is turned down to look at the ground. “What is it?”

“I don’t know if going with you to Idris is the best course of action,” Magnus tells his feet.

Alec frowns. “Magnus, you’ve already helped me escape. Once you help Izzy and me get across the wards the other Downworlders will brand you a traitor. You won’t be able to come back here. Where will you go?”

“Though I will miss my position in New York I have friends elsewhere that I can visit. I’ll lay low until things calm down here and maybe in a century or two I can return.”

Alec stops walking and tugs Magnus back when he tries to keep moving forward. “What if I told you I want you to come to Idris with me?” He leans down hesitantly, watching Magnus’s expression for any sign that he doesn’t want this, that Alec should pull away, but he doesn’t see any of that. He closes his eyes at the last moment and kisses Magnus gently. Their lips part for a moment before reconnecting, sealing around each other and pulling the breath from Alec’s lungs. He feels Magnus’s grip tighten around his hand.

Alec breaks the kiss and stands straight to smile down at Magnus. “I am far from perfect and my view of Downworlders is still skewed but you’ve shown me more kindness than even my parents have and challenge my views every day. I don’t know you very well yet but what I do know is that I want to learn more. I _like_ that you challenge me. I like that I feel connected to you and I like kissing you and I want more. More of this. More of _you_.” His smile wanes and he squeezes Magnus’s hand. “But if you don’t want any of that then you are free to part ways with us at the boarder. I won’t try to force you to do anything you don’t want to.”

“So full of surprises,” Magnus murmurs, incredulous expression clear on his face. “Are you certain, Alexander?”

Alec kisses Magnus again. “I’m positive,” he whispers against Magnus’s lips. He can feel Magnus’s returning smile before their lips seal around each other again.

\---

Isabelle wakes up hungry for the first time since they brought her to the compound. Her stomach rumbles angrily and pulls her from the near-coma she’s been in. “Meliorn?” she calls out, pushing herself into a sitting position.

The knight pokes his head around the corner from the doorway and smiles in at her. “Welcome back to the world of the waking, Princess.” He comes into the room and kisses her forehead. “And how are you feeling?”

“Hungry,” she complains. She looks up at him with slightly unfocused eyes. “The world is fuzzy around the edges,” she tells him, the words forming slowly but clearly.

Meliorn brushes her hair back from her forehead. “We’ll bring some food in for you. You’re almost perfect, you know. We’re moving you to another room tomorrow.”

Isabelle tilts her head back to look up at the ceiling. “I like the room I’m in now.”

“You’ll like the room tomorrow even better.” He kisses her forehead again, almost as if he can’t help himself. “Wait right here, Princess. I’ll go get you some food.”

Isabelle nods and watches him walk away. She hears voices in the hallway and slides off the table to go listen. Her legs shake beneath her from disuse but she makes it over to the door and turns her ear to hear the conversation in the hallway.

“You’re sure he wants this one?” a male voice asks.

“Yep. He negotiated an extremely high price for her with the vampire who caught her. We’ll move her tomorrow and then next week the crown prince will take her,” a female voice responds.

“Why would the Prince want _her_ as the mother to his heirs?”

“She’s one of the strongest Shadowhunters, haven’t you been paying attention? How else could she survive everything we’ve put her through? She’s got enough magic in her to kill five of her people and yet she’s still breathing. Imagine how powerful their children will be?”

“Enough gossiping,” Meliorn’s voice breaks through their chatter. Isabelle’s eyes widen and she rushes to get back to the cot. Her knees give out halfway there and she drops to the hard ground, head hanging between her shoulders as she tries not to cry out from the pain of her knees hitting the smooth rock. The door opens behind her and she rotates onto her side, wincing down at the red marks on her knees. “Are you alright, Princess?” Meliorn asks as he rushes to her side.

“I fell.”

“What were you doing getting up? I told you to stay put.”

She lifts a hand to point behind Meliorn’s shoulder. “I wanted to look at that painting up close.” The lie comes easy despite the seelie magic coursing through her veins and urging her to be complacent.

He turns to look at it. “What a silly request, Princess. Come on let me help you up. I brought you some food.” He lifts her into his arms easily and carries her over to the bed. When he sets her down she smiles up at him. “What is it, Princess?”

“You are very sweet, Meliorn.” She plays with the hem of her dress. “Food?”

He kisses her forehead. “It’s by the door. Let me grab it for you.” She watches him closely and tries to process the information she just heard. Her head feels groggy and reluctant to question any of the information despite her every effort to think about it. Meliorn returns with a plate full of food and she decides to give up. Besides, her brain supplies, meeting the Prince sounds like it would be fun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Next chapter: Magnus’s eyebrows are drawn and he’s frowning. “Oh Alexander.” He stands and walks over to Alec, lifting a hand and pressing it to his stomach, tracing the outline of old scars with his fingers. “Are these because of Raphael?”


	8. Chapter eight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Sunday! In this chapter: here there be smut! It's not super explicit but it's definitely there. Also...I hope you forgive me for how the chapter ends but never fear because the next chapter will make up for it!!!!!!

“We’re about three hours from the compound,” Magnus tells him when they stop five days later. “We should wait here for the rest of today and build our strength for the battle tomorrow.”

Alec looks up at the sky. The sun is just past midday and they’ve missed their window for attack. He pulls out his stele. “I’ll draw up the perimeter. It won’t do much against fae magic but I should be able to booby-trap the area in case they’ve got scouts this far off.”

Magnus nods. “Good idea,” he says as he raises his hands and starts to construct wards around them. “We have to keep a tight perimeter tonight. I can only shield a small area without the seelies catching on and being able to root out my magic. Even still, it’s going to be close. We’re going to have to prepare for anything tonight.”

They’re like a well-oiled machine now, their movements quick and precise as they set up camp. By late afternoon they’re sitting side by side on the cot, talking. “You still haven’t told me much about your sister,” Magnus comments. He’s looking down at their hands, which have once again entwined and rest in the slim space between their bodies.

“What do you want to know about her?”

Magnus considers. “What’s your favorite memory of her?”

Alec smiles and looks out at the mountains in the distance. “It’s impossible to pick just one.”

Magnus squeezes his hand. “Then pick a few.”

Alec nods. “Ok,” he begins, licking his lips to wet them. “There was one time when we were eradicating a nest of shax demons in the sewers under New York. Izzy’s favorite weapon is her whip, right? So I go in first to scout and am able to get a few shots off before she and Jace run in. So Jace is off in a corner fighting and Izzy’s standing to my right and she sends her whip into a shax demon. Well the demon grabs the other end of the whip and tugs, she looses her balance, and falls right into the raw sewage.”

Magnus, already bemused by the way Alec tells stories, throws his head back and laughs loudly. Alec joins him, still trying to tell the story through peals of laughter. “She stood up, and the look on her face—I swear I thought I saw the demon actually cower in fear—she trudged over to it and ran it through with a seraph blade.” He has tears in his eyes remembering the expression of pure rage on her face. “Afterwards I asked her why she was so pissed and she turned to me and started yelling about her clothes.”

“She sounds like my kind of person!” Magnus says, still smiling widely.

“I think you and she will get along, actually,” Alec says, laughter calming down. “Izzy’s always been the rebel of the group but I think your personalities will mesh well. I mean, after I explain to her why we can trust you.”

Magnus’s smile tightens and he looks down at their hands. “Alexander—“

“No, wait, I think I’ve got my favorite memory of Izzy. You remember how I told you I was almost married?” He waits until Magnus nods. “When Izzy found out our parents were trying to pair me off she blew up at them. She told them everyone deserves to be happy and to find that happiness on their own terms and in their own time.

“She yelled for so long that they finally relented and let me call the marriage off—I was going to go through with it, at first, out of a sense of duty. But Izzy reminded me that I have a duty to myself, too.” He smiles. “She’s always been there for me, looking out for me. I wouldn’t be who I am without her.”

“That is a beautiful story, Alexander.”

Alec squeezes his hand. “Hey, you look tense or sad or disappointed or something. I—“ he cuts off as Magnus’s eyes reach his and he sees it, the vulnerability in Magnus’s gaze. “What is it?” he asks softly.

“Alexander, I know you think you mean everything you’ve said to me in the past week, but I don’t know what’s going to happen after we rescue Isabelle. Even if you truly believe everything you’ve told me, you’re just one Shadowhunter and I know the rest of your kind feel very differently about Downworlders.”

“Then I’ll just have to prove why they’re wrong.” Alec’s face is set with such determination that the next words Magnus was about to say die in his throat. “Magnus, I meant what I said, that you’ve changed my view of Downworlders. I—I might not be able to forgive Raphael and the werewolves for what they did to Jace and Clary and Izzy and me, but I can change the way I think about all Downworlders. They…we…the Clave didn’t give them much of a choice.

“The more I think about it, the more I realize that my orders have been biased against Downworlders for years and even before the Uprising I wouldn’t trust a Downworlder as far as I could throw them. Which isn’t fair. They’re not the demons we fight to protect humans from and they’re not evil incarnate like the Clave wants us to believe. They—you—still have some of your humanity and it’s not fair of us to overlook that just because of your demon blood.

“When we go to Idris I will explain everything to the Clave. There will have to be some sort of reckoning for the enslavement of Shadowhunters but I truly believe that we can come to new accords and new agreements that will benefit both Shadowhunters and Downworlders. We will be able to coexist again, like you said we used to.” Alec squeezes Magnus’s hand. “Thank you for opening my eyes, Magnus.”

Magnus smiles. “Thank you for keeping an open mind.” He leans in and kisses Alec again, slowly slotting their lips together and taking Alec’s breath away.

“I should prepare for tomorrow’s battle,” Alec says, pulling back. His teeth catch on his bottom lip and his eyes haven’t left Magnus’s mouth like he’s trying to convince himself more than Magnus that he needs to prepare.

Magnus nods. “I’ll get dinner ready.”

Alec stands and pulls off his shirt. Grabbing his stele, he starts to trace over the familiar battle runes. He’s meticulous about it, tracing them slowly, precisely, almost reveling in the slight burn as the marks sink into his skin. His blood races through his veins as the familiar battle preparation stirs adrenaline in his body. He traces the flexibility rune and feels his muscles respond happily as his body shifts to accommodate the magic.

Alec takes a deep breath and bends at the waist to stretch. He hears a slight gasp from the direction of the cot and assumes Magnus is staring. Alec peeks over his shoulder and sees Magnus’s cat eyes scanning over the skin of his back and not, as he expected, his ass. Alec stands and turns. “Magnus?”

Magnus’s eyebrows are drawn and he’s frowning. “Oh Alexander.” He stands and walks over to Alec, lifting a hand and pressing it to his stomach, tracing the outline of old scars with his fingers. “Are these because of Raphael?”

He looks so concerned and upset that Alec doesn’t think he’s realized his glamour has dropped. “Most of them. The ones you’re tracing are from before we—“ He cuts off and smiles wanly. “Well, it doesn’t really matter. They are what they are.” Magnus moves his hand around to Alec’s back and his fingers catch on the raised skin of jagged scars crisscrossing across his shoulders and down his spine. “Don’t say sorry,” Alec says quickly. Magnus looks devastated by the request so Alec continues. “It’s not your fault, not directly. And I don’t blame you for not stepping in until you did so you have nothing to apologize for.”

“Alexander—“

Alec steps closer and cups Magnus’s face between his palms. “Did you put me in the arena with my sister to fight demons with only a tire iron and a butter knife?”

Magnus’s eyebrows furrow but Alec’s grip prevents him from looking away. “No,” he says quietly.

“Did you parade Downworlders through the arena and put my sister and me on display so you could show off your prized possessions?”

“No.”

“Did you bite me and use your vampire fledgling to torture me?”

Magnus looks physically pained by that question. The, “no,” seems almost pulled out of him.

“Did you sell my sister to the seelies?”

“No.”

Alec takes a deep breath and lowers his voice. “Did you send my brother into the arena to his death?”

Magnus blinks quickly. “No, Alexander.”

Alec nods. “Then you know you have nothing to apologize for.” He drops his hands to Magnus’s hips and pulls him close. They look at each other for a long moment before Magnus rests his cheek against Alec’s chest and hugs him tightly. He tries to express what he can’t in words—that he _is_ sorry for not stepping in sooner, that he wishes things were different and he hadn’t let his hatred of Shadowhunters and the Clave cloud his judgment, that he hadn’t allowed Raphael to sell Isabelle.

When Alec pulls away he has to brush his fingers under his eyes to catch the tears he wasn’t able to hide. Magnus leans up to kiss his cheek when he catches the movement. “Hungry?”

“Starving,” Alec replies with a grateful smile.

Later, after they’ve eaten and Magnus has banished their plates, Alec pulls him down to lay face to face on the cot. Their hands intertwine and rest trapped between their chests, rising and falling with each breath. “Are you sure about tomorrow?” Alec asks. A small part of him knows that despite everything, Magnus could still betray him at the compound. He doesn’t think it’ll happen, has put so much faith in Magnus Bane that he can’t think about it happening, but still wonders all the same.

Magnus nods. “Absolutely positive. We’re going to rescue her, Alexander.” He leans in and kisses him. “You need to relax if you’re going to get any sleep.”

Alec bites his lip. “That’s not going to happen just because you told me to. Got any helpful ideas?”

Magnus’s eyebrow quirks. “A few,” he mumbles, sliding his leg over Alec’s hip and shifting to sit on top of him. He leans down and captures Alec’s lips in a deep kiss that lasts so long Alec gasps when he pulls away. Magnus’s lips fasten onto his neck and trace along the rune there. Alec gasps when he feels Magnus’s tongue gliding along his skin.

As the sun sinks below the horizon their kissing turns to touching. The night shrouds them, hides the high flush on Alec’s cheeks, the deep and penetrating gaze of Magnus’s cat eyes, and only their gasps and the wet sounds of lips meeting and breaking over and over gives any indication of their actions. Alec gives into the temptation and slides his hand between them to wrap around Magnus, stroking him quickly and without finesse as his body responds to Magnus’s touch around his own cock. Magnus’s motions are a bit more elegant than Alec’s but still erratic and harried. Alec climaxes first, his lips parted on a choked-off groan as he pulses in Magnus’s hand. Magnus thrusts into Alec’s palm twice more and then buries his face in Alec’s neck as he climaxes.

Magnus snaps his fingers to banish the mess and then collapses against Alec’s chest in a limp heap. Alec wraps his arms around his waist and closes his eyes. “Ok, I think that helped me relax,” he chuckles.

“Shhh, no talking. Only sleep,” Magnus responds.

Alec closes his eyes and feels sleep dragging him down. He doesn’t resist.

\---

“This way, Princess,” Meliorn directs as he half-carries her through the hallways. She’s distracted by the beautiful murals decorating the walls and keeps stopping to stare at them. “We’re almost to your new room.”

Isabelle sighs. “I liked the old one.”

Meliorn chuckles. “So you’ve told me. But I have a feeling you’ll like this one, too.” He pulls her along the corridor, mindful of her weak legs. “The Prince is coming to meet you tomorrow.”

Isabelle turns her head to look up at him. “Why me?” Flashes of the conversation she overheard drift through her mind but she can’t grasp any of them.

“You’re very special, Princess. Our Prince has been searching for someone like you for over a year and we are all excited he found you.”

“Is that why you call me ‘Princess’?”

Meliorn smiles. “Among other reasons, yes. Prince Esk is looking forward to meeting you and we are all looking forward to the fruits of your union.”

Isabelle giggles. “That sounds silly.” She’s distracted from commenting more by the chandelier in the junction corridor they pass through. “It’s beautiful.” The light glints off of the crystals and casts rainbows down on the ground and walls. The way Isabelle’s face is turned towards them catches a rainbow right across her cheek. Meliorn stops to turn to her and is momentarily stunned by her beauty.

“Princess?”

Isabelle catches Meliorn’s hand and looks over at him. “I don’t want to be a Princess.”

He frowns and tugs her along. “We often have to do things we wished we didn’t,” he tells her sadly. “Unfortunately, that is the nature of things.”

They stop in front of a thick oak door with wrought iron hardware. “This is your new room, Princess.” He opens the door and guides her into the small room. There’s a bed at the end spanning the width of the room and a small vanity off to her left. There are no murals on the walls or glittering, crystal chandeliers on the ceiling.

“I don’t like it here,” Isabelle tells him, wrapping her arms around her waist. The room feels cold and impersonal to her, more like a prison than a room for a Princess.

Meliorn steps back through the doorway. A look of regret passes across his face. “I’m sorry, Princess, but this is the way things must be.”

The door slams shut behind her with such an air of finality that she sinks to her knees and curls in on herself. “Alec,” she whispers, tears forming in her eyes. “I wish you were here.” She drops her head into her hands as the tears overflow and she begins to sob. “I’m scared.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to yell at me in the comments. Thanks for reading! Next chapter: “Alec!” she cries loudly, wide smile spreading across her face as she opens her arms to him.


	9. Chapter Nine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter nine! I can't believe this story is almost to a close. This time next week I'll be posting the final chapter of this story...my, how the time flies! 
> 
> I think a lot of you will be happy with this chapter. I've re-written it three times to make sure I got it just right...I hope. Canon-typical violence from this chapter plus we open with an Izzy scene? What else could happen in this chapter? Read on to find out!

Isabelle yawns as she wakes up, her arms stretching high above her head. She blinks her eyes open and surveys the room with a frown. “Why no paintings?” she asks despite the fact that she’s the only one in the room. She rubs sleep out of her eyes and adjusts the hem of her white dress. “Meliorn?” she calls. No one answers.

Isabelle stands from the bed and walks over to the vanity. She stares at her reflection in the mirror for a long time. “Your eyes are red,” she tells her reflection, but she can’t remember why she was crying. She doesn’t recognize the person in the mirror, their tired eyes and placated expression. Her reflection looks like a distilled replica of Isabelle Lightwood, like they removed the fire in her and boiled her down to a complacent copy.

She reaches out slowly and touches her reflection in the mirror. “Why don’t you look happy?” She forces a smile to her face and lets it sit there until it becomes real. “There, that’s better. You are meeting the Prince today you know.”

\---

The sun is almost at its highest when Alec and Magnus stop on a hill overlooking the compound. From where they stand it looks like a fortress carved into the mountain with a gate at the entrance point constructed of tree branches laced together. A singular stone staircase leads to the compound from the entrance and Alec can see numerous overlooks where archers could be stationed. That, combined with the guard shack visible just inside the gate, makes Alec think it’s a suicide mission.

“This is going to be a lot harder than I anticipated,” Alec says as he draws another set of deflect and angelic powers runes on his stomach and then looks over at Magnus. “Are you ready?”

Magnus snaps his fingers and flicks his wrists in a complicated series of gestures. Blue wards spring up around them both and he nods. “Kiss for luck?”

Alec pulls him close and kisses him deeply, holding nothing back as their tongues slide together. They pull back with a wet sound and turn towards the compound. “How much time do you need to locate Izzy?” Alec asks as he nocks an arrow to his bow.

“Five minutes, maybe longer.” Magnus’s hands glow with red flame.

“We’ll have to keep moving up the staircase while you locate her. Can you do that?” Magnus nods. Alec takes a deep breath. “Let’s go.”

They move quickly down the hill slope and to the compound entrance. Magnus conjures flames to burn down the barricaded gate and together they step through the ashes and into the compound. Arrows immediately start to rain down upon them and Alec does what he can to block them as he and Magnus rush the staircase.

Seelie knights make chase behind them and Alec fires off arrows at them. Luckily, the guards have to follow the same staircase as the intruders, which makes picking them off one at a time quite simple. They make their way up the staircase slowly, Alec alternating between shooting arrows at the guards below, shooting arrows at the guards above, and blocking arrows fired at them. Despite his angel blood, Alec feels spread too thin and fatigue is starting to set in. “Magnus!” Alec says nervously, shooting an arrow over Magnus’s shoulder at a seelie knight above them.

“Almost there,” he replies, eyes closed. The fortress is overly complicated and the seelie magic infused into the walls makes it difficult to find Isabelle’s energy. Magnus has been tapping into Alec’s blood bond with his sister just to combat the seelie energy but it’s relatively slow going. Especially considering they’re not stationary, so his location relative to where Isabelle could potentially be is constantly changing. He’s found where the seelies used to keep her and is trying to follow the path they took to where she is now.

Alec catches the glimpse of an arrow flying straight for Magnus and barely reaches out in time to deflect it with his bow. It grazes Alec’s shoulder and flies into one of the knights below them instead of hitting Magnus in the heart. Alec hardly feels the contact. “Come on,” he mumbles. Sweat is starting to run down his temples and he can feel his shirt sticking to his back. He spares a second to wonder how effective the knights would be at full strength before firing off another series of arrows.

“Got her!” Magnus crows. He opens his eyes just in time to see an arrow flying at his face. He quickly deflects it with a burst of magic but it still cuts his cheek. He ignores the sting of seelie magic and turns to Alec.

Alec throws his bow across his chest and grabs two seraph blades from his hip holsters. They extend at his touch and glow bright blue. “Go,” Alec says.

Magnus turns and races up the remaining steps, Alec hot on his heels. At the top, twenty knights stand ready to fight, some pointing swords at them, others ready to fling magic their way. Magnus takes care of the magically-inclined while Alec squares off with the fighters. “Can’t we all just get along?” Magnus asks. No sooner have the words come out of his mouth than a bolt of magic is flying at his head. He brushes it away easily. “I guess the answer’s no, then?”

“Stop messing around, Magnus,” Alec huffs between breaths as he blocks a sword above his head and stabs the knight through his armor. He cuts through the lines as quickly as possible and finishes slightly behind Magnus, who uses his magic to take out the last of Alec’s opponents.

“This way,” Magnus directs. Alec follows him through the courtyard and into the depths of the compound, watching their back as they move through the halls. If he weren’t so focused on looking out for enemies he would be amazed by the artwork on the walls and how organic the corridors felt. Instead, he uses his enhanced hearing to listen out for potential threats and trades his swords for his bow.

They mostly pass by knights at the corridor junctions. Magnus takes advantage of the chandeliers hanging from the ceilings and bounces his magic off of them, momentarily blinding the knights long enough for Alec to pick them off. “She’s down here,” Magnus tells Alec, leading him down a final corridor.

They round a corner and Magnus blasts through a solid oak door with ease. Alec chases him through the open doorway and sighs with relief when he sees Isabelle sitting on a bed, looking up at them with wide eyes. “Alec!” she cries loudly, wide smile spreading across her face as she opens her arms to him.

“We have to go, Iz.” Alec points the hilt of one of the seraph blades at her to take but she just sits there looking up at him with a dazed expression. “Magnus, what’s going on with her?”

Magnus looks over his shoulder from where he’s maintaining a ward on the entrance so none of the knights can get in. “They pumped her full of seelie magic. We’re going to have to get her out of here without her help.”

Alec huffs in a mixture of frustration and fear. “What did they do to you?” he asks more to himself than Isabelle as he walks over to her and slides his arm around her waist, pulling her to her feet. She’s limp in his arms and not doing much to stand on her own, choosing instead to poke at Alec’s cheek and grin. “Magnus, is there anything you can do for her?”

“Not until we get her to safety. It’s an involved process, trying to eradicate seelie magic.” He glances back at Alec. “Can you carry her out of here?”

Alec sheaths one of his blades and looks down at Isabelle. “If I do I won’t be able to fight.” He sounds distraught and panicked and Magnus knows he has to do something quick.

“I might be able to do a temporary fix, but it’s going to be rough and she’s not going to like me much later. I can’t promise she won’t fade in and out, either.” Alec looks at him expectantly and he nods. “Hold on to her.” He drops one hand and turns it to Isabelle, circling his wrist once before snapping. Blue magic flashes in front of her face before disappearing and with it, her eyes focus and she looks up at Alec with fear.

“What’s going on?” she asks, terror in her voice.

“I need you to follow me, Iz, ok? Magnus and I are here to rescue you but we have to move.” Alec holds out a seraph blade. “Do you think you can fight?”

She shakes her head but still takes it. “Not well and only if absolutely necessary.”

Alec nods with determination. “Then let’s make sure it’s not necessary. Stay between Magnus and me. We’ll protect you.” He grabs a dagger out of his boot and nods to Magnus, who drops the ward with an outward blast, clearing a temporary path through what was formerly a seelie-ridden hallway.

“Let’s go,” Magnus urges, balls of red flame hovering above his palms. They exit the room and make their way quickly down the hall they came from. Magnus moves precisely through the turning corridors while Isabelle and Alec follow closely behind. He scans the halls, ready for their next encounter, but they don’t pass any more guards as they make their way out of the fortress.

Alec watches Isabelle carefully as she runs along, unsteady on her feet but full of determination. Her arm hangs by her side, the sword bouncing along as if too heavy for her to carry properly. He silently vows to bring the seelies responsible for hurting her to justice.

Alec thinks they might actually make it. They step through the final corridor and into the courtyard, the midafternoon sun shining down on them and casting long shadows. They almost make it to the staircase leading down and out before guards finish their ascent and block the path to the steps. Alec turns his back on Magnus and Isabelle to survey the seelies behind them, pouring out of the hallway they just exited. All of the knights point various sharp objects at the three intruders. He feels Isabelle’s hand close around the back of his shirt as she hides behind him. The area is eerily silent. “What do we do, Magnus?” Alec hisses over his shoulder. Isabelle whimpers and when Alec casts his eyes down her eyes are glazed over. Magnus’s magical patch has short circuited for the time being.

“When I heard the intruders had been caught,” a voice calls from overhead, “I didn’t expect to see a Shadowhunter and Magnus Bane working together.” Alec squints his eyes up and sees one of the seelie princes looming down over them. His voice would be pleasant, Alec thinks, if it didn’t pose a direct threat to their escape. “Though it would explain how you got so far.”

“Let us go, Esk. You don’t want this to get any uglier than it already has,” Magnus calls back. His eyes glow with rage caused by the delay in their escape. His magic is waning and the longer he tries to maintain Isabelle’s clear mind, the weaker he grows. As it is he’s not able to maintain control without it wavering.

“You’re outnumbered, Magnus. Extinguish your magic and give us back the girl. We may even let you walk out of here with the Shadowhunter you entered with.” Esk leers at Alec.

“Got any plans yet, Magnus?” Alec hisses. He scans the seelies in front of him and counts at least five dozen, not to mention the archers above them and whoever is waiting down below at the bottom of the steps. They’re never going to make it out if they have to fight through.

“Still thinking,” Magnus hedges, trading glances between Prince Esk and the knights blocking the staircase.

“Meliorn?” Isabelle’s voice pipes up from over Alec’s shoulder. He turns his head slightly and sees a hopeful and somewhat excited expression on his sister’s face.

Meliorn steps through the crowd and acknowledges the Prince above them. “Your Highness, may I offer my diplomatic services?” he calls. Esk waves him on and so Meliorn steps forward. Alec puts his arm out protectively to block Isabelle from the knight but she ducks under his arm and steps forward as if to embrace Meliorn. “Hello, Princess.”

Magnus turns towards Alec and steps up close, peering over Alec’s shoulder. His magic hasn’t extinguished yet and he watches warily.

“Hi,” Isabelle responds, smiling at the knight. “My brother came to find me. He knew I didn’t want to meet the Prince.” She leans in. “The Prince is scary.”

Meliorn smiles knowingly. “He seems that way, yes. Princess, do you want to go with your brother?” Isabelle nods happily. Meliorn turns his face to Alec and Magnus. “Lower your weapons and magic and make it appear as if you are cooperating.” When they don’t comply Meliorn glares. “Do it now, before anyone comes near.” Alec hesitantly sheaths his blade and knife and Magnus follows suit. The magic dissipates as soon as his hands close into fists.

Meliorn looks down at Isabelle. “Princess, I need you to walk over to your brother and give him a hug, ok?” She nods, head tilted to the side in question, before turning to her brother and wrapping her arms around his waist. “Hold on to each other. Quickly! You too, Warlock,” Meliorn demands. Alec feels Magnus’s arms wrap around his hips and pull Isabelle closer to them.

Isabelle’s eyes clear and she looks up at Alec. “Alec? What’s going on?” She barely asks the question before Meliorn uses his magic and sends them out of the compound. It happens so fast, Alec and Isabelle hardly register the effect. To them, it’s as if they were in the compound one second and on the adjacent hill, where the afternoon began for Alec and Magnus, the next. For Magnus, it’s an excruciating jaunt through space as the seelie magic valiantly tries to rip him apart on the journey from there to here.

Magnus is the first to recover. “He’s given us a head start but we have to go. Come on!” he urges. He and Alec each grab one of Isabelle’s hands and start pulling her along after them as they race for the northern border. “We’re eight miles away,” Magnus calls out over the wind whipping their faces. The terrain ahead of them is rocky and mountainous and Alec feels like they went from one bad situation to another.

“We’ll never make it!” he calls back, wide eyes glancing at Isabelle who’s just barely keeping up with them. Her eyes flicker between clear and cloudy but the strength of the men pulling her along prevents her from stopping.

“We have to try!” Magnus replies. They nod at each other and keep moving, half-dragging Isabelle behind them. The sun moves lower in the sky as they go, marking the time for them as they frantically try to out-pace the seelies who are surely following them. Magnus keeps scanning the horizon, looking for the tell-take shimmer of the wards he helped construct over a year ago when the quarantine was first enacted. His heart soars when he sees it just up ahead. “There!” he calls, pointing at what looks like empty air.

Alec doubles his efforts. When they get close enough, Magnus reaches out a palm and opens a hole in the ward. Alec doesn’t even think before he runs head first towards it, pulling Isabelle and Magnus along behind him. They skid to a stop just on the other side and catch sight of the seelie knights cresting the last hill, almost upon them. Magnus drops Isabelle’s hand and waves his arms in a circle to plug the hole and shut the wards tight.

Magnus turns, chest heaving with exertion, and looks incredulously up at Alec. “Are we safe?” Alec asks, almost in disbelief. “Did we make it?”

For the first time that day a smile creeps onto Magnus’s tired expression. “We’re safe. The seelies can’t get through the wards and they won’t be able to see us any more than we can see them.” Alec looks over at the wards and realizes he can’t see any seelie knights, just the open hills of Washington State.

Alec turns to Isabelle and starts checking her over, brushing his fingers over her cheeks and shoulders and making sure she’s ok. Magnus sinks to his knees and puts his head in his hand, checking his magic reserves and finding them mostly empty.

“Are you ok?” Alec turns away from checking Isabelle over to ask.

Magnus nods. “Just overexerted myself. I just need to rest a moment and then I’ll be able to help your sister and portal us to Idris.”

Alec pulls a non-responsive and still-magically-enthralled Isabelle over to Magnus and they sit in front of him. Alec brushes his hand over Magnus’s forehead. “Look at me,” he requests. Magnus looks up with yellow eyes, glamour having dropped long ago. Alec holds his hand out. “Take whatever you need,” he says with a small smile.

Magnus looks down at his hand. “Are you sure?” At Alec’s nod he grabs his hand and starts tapping into Alec’s Shadowhunter energy. “Isabelle, would you mind laying down for me?”

Isabelle looks over at him. “You have pretty yellow eyes,” she says, making Magnus smile. Isabelle smiles back and then lowers herself to lie in front of them. “I love you, Big Bro,” she says with a wink.

Alec takes her hand and smiles. “I love you too, Iz.” He looks up at Magnus. “Ok, go ahead.”

Magnus nods. “Isabelle, I need you to close your eyes for me, ok?” He waits for her to comply before pressing a finger to her forehead, putting her to sleep. “This is an involved process, Alexander. I don’t want you to be afraid.”

“It’s ok, Magnus. I trust you.” He squeezes Magnus’s hand.

“Ok, here we go.” Blue magic sprouts from the hand Magnus holds over Isabelle’s head. He shakes it off his fingers slowly, sending it down to Isabelle’s body in an even coating from head to toe. On the next pass, his magic swirls and starts to thicken, turning to a dense smoke that blocks Alec’s view of his sister. Magnus continues the motion, working head to toe and back again, over and over until the sun almost sets. Then, he snaps his fingers and the magic floats up to the sky, pulling thick green and brown magic as it goes.

Alec watches as the seelie magic reluctantly detaches from his sister, flowing out of her opened mouth while her body spasms slightly. It takes every ounce of control Alec has left not to call out or to try to still her. In that moment, he realizes how much he trusts Magnus. “Open your eyes, Isabelle,” Magnus requests with a touch to her forehead.

Alec feels her hand tighten around his seconds before her eyes open. She blinks up at them, confused. “Alec?” she asks.

He nods. “I’m here, Iz. This is Magnus Bane. He helped save you from the seelies.” Magnus drops his hand and helps Alec pull Isabelle up to a sitting position. “How do you feel? What do you remember?”

“Alexander, perhaps this is a better conversation to be had in safety,” Magnus tells them, eyes turned towards the quickly sinking sun.

Alec looks quickly from Magnus to Isabelle. “Are you ok to travel?”

She puts her hand on her forehead. “I’m dizzy and a little out of it but I think I can make it. Everything seems to be coming back to me slowly.”

“This is normal after an eradication of magic. You’ll have to rest for a while but you should be fine in a couple days,” Magnus confirms. “Ready, Alexander?”

Alec nods. “Do you need another boost?”

Magnus smiles. “No, but I will gladly hold your hand anyways.” Isabelle frowns as she looks between them but doesn’t comment. They help her to her feet and Alec stands in the middle, holding both of their hands tightly. “Alright, next stop: Idris.” Magnus waves his hand and conjures a portal for them.

They step through the portal and into the almost blinding sun of mid-morning. Alec drops Isabelle’s hand to shield his eyes as he takes in the view of a home he’s not sure he ever thought he’d see again. “Uh, Alexander.” Magnus’s grip on his hand tightens and his tone is wary. Alec turns to look at him and then follows his gaze to the hoard of Shadowhunters rushing towards them.

“It’s ok, Magnus.” Alec turns his gaze to Isabelle. “Ready to go see mom?” he asks sarcastically. Isabelle just looks up at him with a blank expression as the Shadowhunters surround them. “My name is Alexander Lightwood and I demand you lower your weapons.” His tone is cool and calculated but no one complies.

“Alec?”

He hears a familiar voice and turns around. “Lydia?” A smile breaks across his face. “You made it out! Tell these guys to let us through,” he requests, gesturing behind him.

Lydia looks wary. “Alec, you’re traveling with a Warlock.”

“High Warlock, actually,” Magnus cuts in, still holding Alec’s hand. “Of Brooklyn, not that there’s much left to be in charge of.”

“Magnus saved my life and then helped me save Izzy. He belongs here just as much as we do.” Alec’s tone brooks no argument.

Lydia frowns. “I’m sorry, Alec, but we’re going to have to escort Magnus to the Council.”

“Fine. Then lead the way.” Alec purposefully doesn’t drop Magnus’s hand as they walk across the field towards the castle.

“What are you doing, Alec?” Isabelle asks quietly as they’re led away.

“Fighting for what’s right,” he replies. He looks over at Magnus. “I’m not going to let anything happen to you,” he promises.

Magnus doesn’t say anything as they reach the castle and work their way to the Council’s chambers. Shadowhunters stop and watch their procession. Some look at them with surprise and others whisper to each other behind their hands. Alec sets his gaze on the hallway ahead of them and ignores the onlookers.

He hears the sharp intake of breath from Magnus and understands immediately. Ahead of them, the tall, solid-wood doors separating the Council Chambers from the rest of the compound slide open to reveal the cavernous Chamber room. The members of the Council sit in the front of the room ominously and, while Alec knows they’re intimidating as is, he also sees quite a few unoccupied chairs where representatives from the United States Institutes would sit. The Consul sits in the very front of the group with the Inquisitor to his right. Alec takes a deep breath and guides Magnus through the doors and to stand in the middle of the room.

“Alexander and Isabelle Lightwood,” the Consul begins, “we thank the Angel you are alive and safely returned to us.” Alec doesn’t miss the way everyone’s eyes stare at his and Magnus’s intertwined hands.

Isabelle steps forward but Alec speaks first. “The Angel had nothing to do with it.” Magnus’s hand tightens around his but Alec doesn’t stop. “Had Magnus not saved us, my sister and I would still be enslaved in America or, worse, dead.”

“The Council has been meeting for over a year in an attempt to find a plan of action to rescue Shadowhunters,” the Consul explains. “However, the situation is delicate—“

Alec scoffs. “Delicate? Our people are across the wards and dying. They are suffering at the hands of Downworlders because of years of oppression instituted by the Clave. My sister was sold to a seelie clan to breed while you sat on your asses here and pretended like you were doing something to help.” He’s fuming, finally letting his anger at the Clave process. They didn’t come to rescue him and, even though he spent every night convincing Isabelle they would, he knew no one would ever come to save them. No one wanted to insight another war and the Council was too willing to write off the American Institutes and Shadowhunters as losses and rebuild the forces everywhere else. “Our brother, Jace, died because you didn’t come to help us.” He turns his head to Magnus. “Magnus was the only person who tried to help.”

“Mr. Lightwood—“ the Inquisitor begins.

“I don’t care about your excuses. Debrief us tomorrow and I’ll tell you exactly, in explicit detail, what happened to us while you sat here and tried to wait it out. For tonight, give Magnus leave to travel the city. He is not a threat to you or any of us,” Alec finishes. He feels tired and ready to collapse where he stands, but keeps his face carefully neutral.

“Lydia?” the Consul asks.

Lydia walks up to stand next to Magnus. “If Alec is willing to take responsibility for the warlock—“

“His _name_ is Magnus,” Alec interjects pointedly.

Lydia purses her lips but corrects her statement before continuing. “If Alec is willing to take responsibility for _Magnus_ , then I don’t see why we can’t give him leave to explore the city. At least until tomorrow when we can question him thoroughly.”

The Consul raises his hand. “Do you intend to assume responsibility for Warlock Bane?”

“Absolutely,” Alec replies.

He nods. “Fine. Isabelle Lightwood, Alexander Lightwood, and Warlock Bane, you are all to return here tomorrow at nine am for debriefing. Until then, you are dismissed.” The Consul waves his hand and dismisses them.

Alec pulls Magnus out of the room without a backwards glance at the Council. “Selfish pricks,” he mumbles under his breath when the doors close behind them. Magnus raises his eyebrows at Alec’s harsh language but is stopped from commenting by Alec’s family walking up to them.

“Alexander!” Maryse breaths his name with a mixture of relief and disbelief and pulls him into a tight hug. Alec reluctantly drops Magnus’s hand to embrace her.

“Hi mom.” A part of him is still furious at her for leaving them in New York to fend for themselves. That part of him blames her for Jace’s death. The other part is relieved to see his mother again, no matter how angry he feels.

Maryse pulls back and moves to hug Isabelle but she steps back with a hand up. “I’m not hugging either of you,” she addresses their parents. “While you stayed here safe and sound, Alec and I were fighting for our lives. Jace is _dead_ because you didn’t come to save us.” She shakes her head. “I’ll never forgive you for that.”

Isabelle turns to Alec and Magnus. “Will you guys come with me? I need to talk to you about a few things and then I think we all need some rest.” Alec takes Magnus’s hand again and nods at Isabelle, who leads them down the hallway without another comment to their parents.

“Where are we going?” Magnus asks quietly as they walk through the winding halls.

“Somewhere private and quiet,” Isabelle replies. “But until we get there—“ she places her finger over her lips and leads them on. None of them says anything else until they get to the residential wing and Isabelle closes the door to her room behind them. “Mom and Dad can go fuck themselves!” she screams as she throws herself back onto the bed.

Magnus’s eyebrows rise at Alec, seeking an explanation. “Mom left us in New York. She went through the portal and left us to fend for ourselves before during the Uprising. Now she has the gall to pretend like she was concerned and is so happy we’re alive.” Alec rolls his eyes. “She doesn’t get to do that, just like the Council doesn’t get to pretend they were actually trying to help us.”

“Magnus,” Isabelle addresses him, pushing herself up on the bed. “Thank you for saving my life. If Alec trusts you then I’m inclined to do the same. However, I believe there is one huge piece of information the two of you have neglected to share.” She looks at Alec pointedly. He feigns ignorance. “Oh, come on, Alec, you haven’t let go of his hand since we got here.”

Alec looks down at their hands like he forgot they were still connected. He looks down at their hands like holding Magnus’s hand is the most natural thing in the world to him. He looks down at their hands like he never wants to let go. “Oh, yeah, that part.”

“’Oh, yeah, that part,’” Isabelle mimics. “Alexander Gideon Lightwood—“

“By the Angel, Iz, he’s standing _right here_!”

“Maybe if you were a little more direct this wouldn’t be an issue—“

“Maybe if you weren’t such a prying little sister—“

“I’m just trying to make sure you’re happy, Big Br—“

“Could have fooled me with this bullsh—“

“Ok, let’s both maybe take a step back,” Magnus interjects. He’s been watching the siblings go back and forth and while amusing, tensions are a bit high after the day they’ve had and they should both stop talking before either one says something they’ll regret. “Deep breath, both of you. Come on, in and out. There you go.”

Alec speaks first. “Ok, Iz, you want to know what’s going on I’ll tell you: I’m…not actually sure what’s going on.” He looks over at Magnus. “Magnus…Magnus saved my life and I wasn’t really sure why at first. But then I learned to trust him and, I don’t know, it became more than that. He’s…Magnus and I are figuring this out as we go along, ok? Now can we talk about what happened at the seelie compound?”

Isabelle goes from smiling at Alec talking about Magnus to frowning and curling in on herself at the mention of the seelies. “I don’t want to talk about that.”

“Perhaps it is too soon, Alexander,” Magnus hedges.

Alec shakes his head. “I need to know if you could be pregnant, Izzy.” He looks at her with regret in his gaze. “I’m sorry but we need to know if that’s a possibility.”

Isabelle closes her eyes and shakes her head. Alec sighs with relief. “Thank the Angel,” he prays as he drops Magnus’s hand to rush over to her and wrap her in a hug. “I was so worried about you, Iz. I’m so glad you’re ok.” She curls up in his arms and he rocks her gently back and forth. “I’m never going to let anything happen to you again. I promise,” he whispers.

He urges Isabelle to shift until they’re up by the pillows, lying down on the bed. Isabelle curls up against his side and closes her eyes for a nap. Alec looks over at Magnus and lifts his other arm to welcome him over, so Magnus kicks off his shoes and slides onto the bed to curl up against Alec. It’s not long before the three of them drift off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Next chapter: “The whole time I’ve been a Shadowhunter I’ve never been afraid of losing someone like I was afraid of losing you.”


	10. Chapter Ten

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The penultimate chapter! I hope you all are ready for the end...the next chapter is the epilogue. This chapter has some of my favorite moments of this story, including Magnus and Izzy friendship and Alec standing up to the entire assembled Clave. 
> 
> I haven't read the books so I only know what's been covered on the show and what I can parse out from the fandom wiki so if I have inaccuracies with Council things just...ignore them lol. Creative license and all that. I hope I'm not too far off, though...I did my best to follow what I could find online. 
> 
> Without further adieu, please enjoy chapter ten!

Soft whispers wake Alec up from his nap. At first he can’t actually make out anything they’re saying, but as he becomes more lucid he hears the distinct sound of Magnus and Isabelle’s voices. “ _He_ kissed _you_ first?” Isabelle whispers with surprise.

“I don’t think he even realized I was awake when he did it, but then I rolled over and made him face what he did.” Magnus chuckles. “I had been drawing power from him all day through holding his hand and so I pretended like I could draw power from touching any part of him and slid my hand up his arm, and then I kissed him.” Isabelle hums. “But really, I used a bit of my magic to make his skin tingle because I can only draw power through palm-to-palm contact.” Isabelle laughs quietly.

“I knew that wasn’t a real thing,” Alec mumbles groggily, peeking an eye open to look at Magnus. There’s a light blush visible on Magnus’s cheeks when he turns his head up to Alec. “Very smooth, Magnus.”

Magnus purses his lips. “I’m 300 years old, give or take. I couldn’t just grab you like a horny teenager now, could I?”

Isabelle snorts. She has a smile on her face wider than Alec has seen since Jace died and it’s all thanks to Magnus. Alec lifts his hand and cards his fingers through Magnus’s hair. “There’s still time,” he says with a fond smile.

Magnus kisses his chest and then stares up at him with soft eyes. Isabelle coos. “Magnus was just telling me all about the adventure you had while trying to save me.”

“And then that got into a discussion of how we first kissed?” Alec quirks an eyebrow.

“Your sister is devious and nefarious. I like her.” Isabelle smirks with pride at Alec. “But perhaps it would be better to leave her for a while? I could use a shower.”

Alec nods. “Smells like Izzy needs one, too.” She glares at him. “Will you be ok if we leave, Iz?”

“Of course. Nothing to worry about, Alec.” She pushes off of his chest and climbs out of bed. “I’m going to shower and change and then find some poor idiot to beat up.” She walks over to the bathroom. “See you tomorrow, Big Brother,” she calls before shutting the door.

Alec and Magnus get off the bed slowly and then hold hands as they exit her room. “I really do like your sister. I’m glad she’s ok,” Magnus begins. He talks quietly, afraid to be overheard in the stone hallways that echo.

“She’s pretending she’s more ok than she is. But she’ll go find some poor Shadowhunter to train with and she’ll be ok eventually. It seems to me like she just needs to put this whole thing behind her.” He pulls Magnus to a stop. “We can use this room.” The doorknob feels familiar in his hand as he turns it and enters. “When I grew up, before we were all sent to the New York Institute, this used to be my room.”

Magnus walks in and surveys the room. It’s sparsely decorated, full sized bed in the back corner with an end table next to it, desk across the room with a lamp. It doesn’t look like a child grew up in the room but perhaps Shadowhunters are raised differently in Idris. “Do they usually save your childhood rooms?”

Alec shakes his head. He looks out of place to Magnus, like he’s too big for the space. “Not usually, but I spent so much time traveling back and forth to represent the New York Institute that I requested they keep this room for me.” He walks to the wardrobe to the left of the only other door in the room and pulls out a change of clothes and a towel. “You can use these for now. They might be a little large but I think the boxers should fit.” He hands the pile to Magnus before turning back to grab a towel for himself. “Do you mind if I shower first?”

Magnus shakes his head. “By all means.”

Alec takes his time in the shower, trying to process all of the events of the day before. He’s never felt so shaken up after a battle despite having achieved the desired outcome. Isabelle is home and Magnus is safe…he should have moved past this by now but instead he’s mulling over the events of the rescue, reliving one particular moment over and over again.

_“Got her!” Alec turns when he hears Magnus’s happy exclamation. He’s just in time to see the arrow headed straight for Magnus’s face. Before he can say or do anything, Magnus deflects the arrow and it cuts his cheek. But in the split second before, when Alec realized he wasn’t fast enough to save Magnus, his heart sank and he felt useless. The whole event leaves one burning question rattling around in his brain: what would he have done if Magnus hadn’t deflected the arrow?_

Alec shakes himself out of the memory and reaches for the soap. Two minutes later he’s wrapped the towel around his waist and passing Magnus on his way to the bed.

\---

Twenty minutes later, Magnus steps out of the bathroom to find Alec sitting on the bed with his back to the headboard, bare-chested with his sweatpants-covered legs bent in front of him. He looks up when Magnus steps out of the bathroom wearing boxers and the loose, oversized black t-shirt Alec gave him. Magnus goes over to the bed and climbs over to where Alec’s sitting, curling his legs under him and resting his arms on Alec’s knees.

“Penny for your thoughts?” he asks quietly. Alec looks up at him with a small smile and shakes his head. “Ok.” Magnus can see there’s something weighing on the mind of his favorite Shadowhunter, but he can wait to find out. He slides his palms down the outside of Alec’s legs and wraps his hands around his ankles, pulling until his legs stretch out on the bed. Magnus climbs onto Alec’s thighs so they’re face to face. He reaches out and brushes his fingers across Alec’s cheek, maps the lines of his face gently, shivers when he feels the drag of Alec’s stubble against the pad of his thumb. Alec’s eyes bore into his, filled with more emotion than Magnus feels like he can handle.

Alec reaches out, finally, and brushes his thumb across the cut on Magnus’s cheek from where the seelie arrow grazed him. While Alec’s runes healed him completely, Magnus’s magic is taking longer to respond to the seelie-enchanted cut and the wound is taking longer to heal. “I’m fine, Alexander,” Magnus whispers.

“I thought I might lose you,” Alec tells him with a frown on his face. “I—the whole time we were in the compound I was afraid of losing you.” He shakes his head. “The whole time I’ve been a Shadowhunter I’ve never been afraid of losing someone like I was afraid of losing you.” The words feel heavy where they hang between them.

Magnus lifts a hand and wraps his fingers around Alec’s wrist. “You’re not going to lose me,” he promises before leaning in and kissing Alec softly. Alec’s hand locks around the back of his neck and holds him close as they kiss again, deeper, like Alec’s searching for the confidence Magnus has. He kisses Magnus like he can find that confidence in their touches.

Magnus’s fingers brush over Alec’s chest and catch against his scars. He pushes Alec down onto the bed and runs his lips across the lines like he’s trying to replace the pain with happiness even though he knows no amount of pleasure will ever eradicate the memories. Still, he’s willing to try his hardest at the moment.

Alec’s hand grabs at his hair like a tether as shivers run down his spine. His skin tingles where Magnus’s lips draw lines and he desperately wants to feel Magnus everywhere. “Magnus, come here,” he requests, tugging at the black tresses between his fingers. Magnus slides up his body and hovers over him. His wide, brown eyes appear laser-focused as they look down at him. “I want you.” Alec licks his lips. “I want to feel you inside of me.”

Magnus pauses, searching his face to make sure this is truly what he wants, and leans down to kiss him. “Yes,” he whispers against Alec’s lips.

Alec’s hands slide under Magnus’s shirt and slowly drag it up his torso. Instead of breaking their kiss, Magnus snaps his fingers and sends his shirt across the room. Alec blinks up at him in surprise. “I never learned patience,” Magnus explains before pressing Alec back into the sheets. After a while, Magnus breaks from their kiss to trace Alec’s block rune with his tongue, distracting the Shadowhunter while he banishes the rest of their clothing.

“I guess you really are impatient,” Alec huffs, head tilting back on instinct as Magnus’s lips latch into his skin. “Magnus, that feels amazing.” He can feel the warlock’s grin even though he can’t see it.

“Lube?” Magnus asks against his neck. Instead of answering, Alec reaches out blindly for his bedside table. Magnus snaps his fingers and the drawer opens in a puff of blue smoke and its contents begin to levitate. Alec laughs breathlessly as the lube flies into Magnus’s outstretched hand.

“It might be a little old,” Alec warns.

Magnus checks the label an then uncaps it. “It’s fine.” He goes back to kissing Alec’s neck as he drops his hand between Alec’s thighs. Alec’s breath hitches when Magnus’s finger slides into him and his throat clicks when he swallows. “Alexander?” Magnus asks, concerned. His head pops up into Alec’s field of vision.

Alec shakes his head and smiles. “I’m ok. It’s just…it’s more overwhelming than I anticipated.” He pauses. “I—will you come closer? I just need to be closer to you.”

“Of course.” Magnus leans down over Alec, resting his forearm next to his head. “Better?” he asks. When Alec nods, Magnus starts to open him up. He watches Alec’s expression change, captivated by the way his pleasure manifests on his face. Alec’s furrowed eyebrows relax the more used to Magnus’s movement he becomes. His eyes close after a while, then his teeth grip his bottom lip as his orgasm builds and he starts to anticipate the next wave of pleasure. His eyes shoot open and his lips part in a gasp when Magnus’s finger slides against his prostate and Magnus wonders if he could get off from Alec’s expressions alone.

One finger turns to two and Alec becomes vocal. At first it’s small grunts as his body fights the intrusion. Then, it’s choked-off half-moans that evolve into words so scattered Magnus wonders if Alec realizes what he’s saying. Two fingers turn to three and Alec starts to shake. He allows Magnus a few strokes before his eyes open and his hands grab for his bicep. “Enough fingers, Magnus,” he begs. Magnus licks his lips and nods, sliding his fingers out and shifting his hips to align with Alec’s. “I’m ready.” Alec smiles.

“I only have one request, Alexander: Do not look away from me. Not yet.” Alec nods. Magnus returns his smile and then slowly presses his hips forward. Alec’s hands tighten around his arms and his breath speeds up but he doesn’t look away. Magnus bottoms out and fights the urge to move again. He waits for Alec to adjust.

Alec lifts up to kiss Magnus and that’s his cue to move. It’s slow, just the gentle rocking of their bodies together, but it’s the most erotic and overwhelming experience Magnus has had in centuries. They kiss until Alec pulls away whispering, “I’m close,” into the otherwise silent room. Magnus presses their foreheads together and keeps moving until they both climax.

Alec doesn’t let him pull away at first. His arms stay locked around his waist and hold him down so Magnus props his chin up on Alec’s chest and looks at him. “You’re absolutely stunning, Alexander, and so incredibly full of surprises.”

Alec blinks blearily at him, his eyes half-lidded and expression completely sated. “I think I’m falling in love with you. Don’t—I don’t want you to say anything. I just want you to know what I think I’ve discovered for myself over the past twenty-four hours, especially before we talk to the Council tomorrow.” He drops his arms and lets Magnus slide out of him and shift onto the bed. They lay facing each other and Magnus takes his hands in his.

“For the record, I think I’m falling in love with you, too, Alexander,” Magnus whispers. A wide smile breaks across Alec’s face. He tries to rein it in by biting on his bottom lip but he’s largely unsuccessful. “We should get some rest before tomorrow.”

Alec nods and waits for Magnus to turn over. He pulls Magnus against his chest and wraps his arm around him, their hands intertwining against Magnus’s chest. “Goodnight, Magnus.”

He brushes his lips against the back of Alec’s hand. “Goodnight, Alexander.”

\---

Morning feels like it comes too soon. Alec fights it as much as possible by burying his face into Magnus’s neck and pulling him closer even though he knows they need to get up and get moving. He feels Magnus’s fingers brushing lines across his forearm. “Good morning, Alexander.”

Instead of answering, Alec fastens his lips to Magnus’s neck and starts kissing lines across his skin. Magnus sighs and relaxes more against him, prompting Alec to pull him closer. “We should get up,” Magnus tries again. Alec groans against his skin. “It’s past eight. If we don’t get up now we’ll be late for the Council meeting, and I have a feeling it would be in my best interest to be on time for these things.”

“You’re right,” Alec relents with a groan. He kisses Magnus’s cheek and then pulls away. He winces slightly when he climbs off of the bed and Magnus catches the expression.

“Are you alright, Alexander?”

He nods. “Yeah just a little sore from last night.” He blushes lightly. “I’ll be ok.”

“Nothing one of your runes can’t fix?” Magnus smiles.

“Yeah but, um, I’m not going to use one.” His blush darkens but he doesn’t shy away from Magnus’s shocked and slightly turned-on eyes. “I like it.” He turns, then, and walks over to the wardrobe. “Here’s a change of clothes for today. I’m sorry I don’t have anything smaller.” He tosses a pile to Magnus and then pulls a set out for himself.

They dress quickly and then walk down the hallway to Isabelle’s room. Magnus knocks. “Good morning, Isabelle,” Magnus greets when she opens the door. “You look much more rested.” Her eyes are more alert than the day before. She also looks more comfortable with her hair pulled back into a tight braid and wearing a tight black shirt and pants.

She smiles at them. “Thank you, Magnus. Good morning to you too! Hey, Alec, ready to go face the firing squad?” She’s mostly kidding but Alec bristles all the same.

“Let’s go.” He takes Magnus’s hand and leads them down the hallway towards the Council Hall. The room is packed with Shadowhunters when they get there. Three seats have been set out in the middle of the room, directly in front of the Council, and Shadowhunters all stand around them. Many are there to hear of the horrors Downworlders have committed against their people, looking for further evidence to support their biases. Others are there to hear testimony from a warlock involved in the Downworlder Uprising. Regardless of reason, all eyes turn to Alec, Isabelle, and Magnus as they walk in the room.

Isabelle takes the seat on the far left and gracefully crosses her legs, somehow staring down her nose at the Council even though the angles should be completely wrong. Alec sits in the middle with Magnus on his right and, though Magnus drops his hand when they take their seats, Alec immediately laces their fingers back together and places their hands on his thigh. He looks up at the Council as if daring them to comment. Isabelle glances over at her brother and wonders when he lost his fear of the Clave and their “traditions.” She makes a note to tell him later about how proud she is to be his sister.

“Warlock Bane will speak first,” the Consul calls. The words echo is the otherwise silent room. Council members shift in their seats in anticipation.

Magnus looks over at Alec and smiles warmly. Alec lifts their hands to his mouth and kisses Magnus’s fingers before dropping his hand. Magnus lets go as he stands and Alec turns his expression to the Council, leveling them with a protective glare. “What would you like to know?” Magnus asks.

“What role did you play in the Uprising?” the Inquisitor asks, voice booming out over the assembled crowd.

“None, whatsoever. I intentionally kept my Warlocks and myself out of the fray during the revolt.” Magnus stands tall but relaxed, showing strength but appearing non-threatening. Isabelle is impressed but Alec isn’t surprised, knowing what he does of the High Warlock.

“Why is that?” the Consul asks.

“I may not agree with the way Shadowhunters have treated my people in recent years, but I do not believe the Downworlders in America behaved in their own best interest. Revolting against your oppressors only to become them—that’s not the way to peace. I believe we need to instigate new ordinances and fix relations between the Shadowhunters and the Downworld.” The hall erupts in low mutterings as the assembled nephilim react to his statement. “I know what life used to be like between our two worlds and I know that things can return to the way they were, given time and the proper direction,” he raises his voice to make sure his last point is heard.

“Quiet!” the Consul orders over the noise of the crowd. The mumblings taper off. “Tell us about your relationship with Isabelle and Alexander Lightwood.”

Magnus looks over to the siblings. “I rescued Alexander from Raphael once Isabelle was sold to the Seelie clan in Washington. I—I’ve known Raphael for a long time but he has changed into someone I do not even recognize. When he sold Isabelle I knew I had to do something, so I rescued Alexander and pledged to reunite him and his sister.”

Isabelle stands. “He fulfilled that promise.” Her back is ramrod-straight as she stares down the Council.

“Isabelle, sit down. You will get your chance—“ the Inquisitor begins.

“No. Magnus is not on trial nor should he be. He succeeded in what none of you will even attempt: saving the lives of Shadowhunters caught during the Uprising.” She looks around her into the eyes of the members of the Clave and Council. “After over a year of fighting vampires and demons with no power and no real weapons I had given up. Alec and I tried to escape and the vampire Raphael tortured my brother while they forced me to watch, all because we didn’t think anyone was going to come for us. I didn’t want to die like Jace and Clary.

“Raphael sold me to the Seelies after that. They wanted to _breed_ me.” Her hands clench into fists at her sides. “I overheard a few of them talking in the hallways about how the Prince paid for me, specifically.” Her voice stays strong even though Alec can see her hands start to shake. “The worst part was the magic they pumped into me because it made me complacent and happy to be there. I _wanted_ to be bred. I forgot all of the reasons for fighting. I stopped wishing for the Clave to rescue me.” She turns to Alec. “I stopped hoping for my brother to save me.”

Alec’s heart breaks at the expression on her face. “But he came anyways. He and Magnus saved me before the Seelies could do more than cloud my mind. I am here because Magnus saved my brother and then helped save me.” She sits and crosses her arms over her chest, nodding to Alec.

“I used to believe Downworlders were our enemies,” Alec begins after he stands. “Especially after the Uprising, when they forced Izzy and me to fight. Especially when I watched them force Jace and Clary to fight werewolves without their runes or their weapons.” He pauses because he’s never told Isabelle what actually happened. But she has a right to hear it. “My bond pulled me to Jace the moment before he was killed. I watched the werewolves kill him and Clary and thought I would never forgive any Downworlder again.”

He hears Isabelle’s sharp intake of breath but continues on. “Raphael bit me and then used his fledgling to torture me while he did it. And Magnus watched without doing anything.” His eyebrows furrow. “But I don’t blame him. If our roles were reversed a year ago, I don’t know that I would have behaved any differently.

“When Magnus first saved me I waited for the other shoe to drop. I was always taught, growing up, that Downworlders are selfish and manipulative, that they are always only looking out for themselves without any regard for others. I was taught that, given the opportunity to help himself or a dear friend, a Downworlder will always choose himself. But Magnus chose to help a complete stranger over himself. He knew the ramifications of saving me and of helping me save Izzy. But he did it anyways.”

Alec takes a deep breath. “I don’t know if Magnus will betray me. There’s still a chance that I am wrong about him and Downworlders and that everything I have been taught in my life is correct. But I’m willing to risk it because I don’t think any of that is true. I don’t think Magnus would hurt me and I don’t think Downworlders are inherently lesser beings. I don’t think they’re evil and I think we need to stop treating them like they are. If we are ever to live in a peaceful world then we need to stop seeing everything in black and white and start treating them like our equals instead of our enemies.” Alec’s voice rings throughout the hall as he stands straight. He’s a vision of strength and leadership, Magnus thinks. “Our hatred and bigotry has bred hatred and bigotry. The only way to save America and the Shadowhunters trapped there is through diplomacy and tolerance. That starts here, today, in this Hall.

“I call on the Clave to establish a new council comprised of representatives from the Downworld and Shadowhunters. I task this council with establishing peace between all members of the Shadowworld and to establish new Accords to benefit all members equally.”

“I second,” Isabelle nearly shouts as she rushes to her feet. Magnus stands quietly and slides his hand into Alec’s wordlessly. The Hall rings with cries of agreement from Shadowhunters and Alec allows a smile to break across his lips. He knows this is only a first step and they have a long way to go but it’s a good first step. He has to believe they’ll make it forward eventually.

Magnus squeezes his hand and it makes Alec look over at him. “Thank you for standing up for us, Alexander.”

Alec kisses him in front of the assembled Clave without a care for who’s watching. “We have a lot of work to do,” he replies with a smile. “Let’s get out of here.”

Maryse follows Isabelle, Magnus, and Alec out of the room. “Isabelle, wait! Let me explain!” she calls out to them. They all turn to look at her but Isabelle is the only one to respond.

“Why, mother? So you can try to explain to me why you left us to die? So you can tell Alec that he’s a disgrace? So you can offend Magnus?” She scoffs. “You’re stuck in the old ways, mother, and you either need to get on board or get out of our lives.” She turns and storms away.

“Alec—“ Maryse pleads.

“No, mother. Isabelle is right. You had your chance.” He and Magnus start to walk away and chase after Isabelle. They’re stopped down the hallway by Lydia.

“What you did in there was really brave, Alec.” She smiles at him. “And I wanted to apologize for yesterday, Magnus.”

Alec nods. “Thanks, Lydia. Magnus, this is my ex-fiancé, Lydia. Lydia, this is my—my warlock, Magnus,” he stutters over the introduction. Magnus and Lydia smile politely at each other.

“How do you do, Lydia?”

“Again, I’m sorry for yesterday, Magnus. It’s just been a while since any non-Shadowhunters have been at a Clave meeting.” She has the grace to look apologetic.

“How did you escape?” Alec asks. The question’s been burning at the back of his mind since they ran into each other and he can’t help but ask it. “The last I saw, you were in the middle of the battle with all of us. I didn’t see you go through the portal.”

“I made it through just after Maryse. I looked around for you to try and pull you through with me but—“

“But we were overrun.” Alec smiles. “I’m glad you’re safe, Lydia.” She smiles back at him. “We should get going, though. Someone has to chase after Izzy when she’s storming off angrily and with just cause.”

Lydia nods. “Of course. I remember how your sister is. Good luck. I’m glad you’re back.” She waves them off and they continue down the hall.

“Lydia seems nice,” Magnus says.

Alec squeezes his hand. “She is, but she’s no you.” He kisses Magnus’s cheek. “Now, let’s go find Izzy.”

\---

“So what happens next?” Isabelle asks as they walk on the lawn outside of the castle. The sun is shining brightly and catches on her face in a way that, combined with the slight breeze blowing her hair back, makes her look almost angelic to Alec. He takes a second to thank the Angel again that she is ok and they are back together again.

Alec’s and Magnus’s hands swing gently between them. “We let them fight it out in there,” he points behind them with his free hand, “and then we establish the International High Council and reach out to the Downworlders.”

“There will be repercussions for war crimes committed by some of the Downworld leaders and examples will have to be made. But the Council will also hold the Shadowhunters accountable for pre-revolution events that led to the Uprising.” Alec nods in agreement. Not even Shadowhunters should be above the law. “Then we start to build relationships again,” Magnus continues.

“It’s not going to happen overnight.” Isabelle’s tone seems dejected.

“But it will happen. We’ll do our best to return America to the way it was and save our people,” Alec tells her. “We just have to remember that the Downworlders are our people too.” He squeezes Magnus’s hand and smiles at him.

“I’m so proud of you, Alec,” Isabelle tells him out of the blue. He turns to her in surprise. “You’ve been so strong for me that I didn’t realize how amazing you truly are. But I saw an incredible leader standing up for what he knows is right back there, and I am so proud to call you my brother.”

They stop walking and Isabelle throws her arms around Alec’s waist, pulling him in tightly. “Thank you for saving me,” she tells them both. Alec pulls Magnus in and hugs them tightly.

After a while he loosens his grip and steps back. “Come on, let’s go. We’ve got a lot of planning to do for when they pull their heads out of their asses and realize I’m right.” He smirks at Isabelle and kisses Magnus’s temple. “First up, who the fuck is going to be on this Council?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Next chapter: “I can’t wait for the day things between the Shadowhunters and Downworlders are settled and we have peace.”


	11. Epilogue: Two Years Later

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, we've arrived at the end. If you have made it this far, thank you so much for taking a chance on my little story. This might be one of the best things I've written in a while and I am so proud of it. I hope you've enjoyed reading it as much as I've enjoyed writing it!
> 
> One final chapter, short as it may be...two years after chapter ten.

“In closing: since the formation of this Council a year ago we have agreed on new Accords which have allowed us to lift the Quarantine on the United States. The twenty-one leaders of the Downworld Uprising have been placed on trial in front of this Council and sentenced. We are now on track to usher in a new era of peace between the Shadowhunters and Downworlders within the next year.

“The process has not been simple and many lives have been lost, but as long as we continue on this path the losses will not be in vain.” Ragnor Fell looks out over the rows and rows of representatives from every country and Downworld population in the world. His eyes settle on Alexander Lightwood and Magnus Bane, sitting in the front row next to the Shadowhunter representative from the United States, Isabelle Lightwood. “Let us never forget: United, we are stronger.”

Ragnor closes the meeting and thanks the representatives for their dedication before stepping down from the podium and walking over to his friends. “Great speech,” Magnus praises.

Ragnor smiles and reaches out to clasp his hand in a friendly shake. “Thank you, Magnus. Will you two be joining us for the evening festivities?” He directs the question to Alec.

“Unfortunately, no. Magnus and I have to get back to Idris to speak to a group of Shadowhunters in training,” Alec replies. “And actually, we should be heading out so we can change before the meeting,” he turns to Magnus to say.

Magnus nods. “My dear Alexander is unfortunately right. Isabelle, however, will be staying.” He catches the flirtatious look Isabelle sends Ragnor’s way and can’t help but feel a little excited for his old friend. They would make a great pair, especially as leaders of the International Council. “Thank you for allowing me to sit proxy for the Council meeting today. Catarina sends her regards and regrets she couldn’t be here today, etcetera, etcetera.” Magnus winks at Ragnor and then takes Alec’s hand. “Shall we?”

They exit the hall and Magnus throws up a portal for them to their home in Idris. An hour later they stand in front of a group of thirty kids ranging from six to fifteen years old to talk about the new Accords. “Who here has ever had a friend who was different from them in some way?” Alec smiles when everyone raises a hand. With such a wide age range it should be difficult to address everyone equally. However, Alec somehow finds a way to reach everyone in the room and communicate his points easily. It’s one of the many things Magnus loves about him.

The kids seem very responsive to Alec’s discussion about the Accords and equality between Shadowhunters and Downworlders. After he finishes addressing the main points (and has Magnus do a few parlor tricks just for kicks) he dismisses the class. Some of the older Shadowhunters stay behind to ask them both questions. Magnus smiles and answers the curious questions honestly, talking about growing up as a warlock and learning to control his magic. He talks about how things used to be between Downworlders and Shadowhunters.

“Everyone just got along?” one of the older boys asks.

Magnus smiles. “Everyone got along and there was a lasting peace in the world.”

One of the younger girls pipes up shyly, “Do you think it’ll ever be like that again? It sounds nice.”

Magnus looks up at Alec with love in his eyes and his boyfriend smiles back down at him. “Yes, I think it will be like that again.”

“As long as there are people fighting for that kind of peace, it will always be a possibility. We’re working on making it a reality very soon,” Alec tells them, reaching out and taking Magnus’s hand. “But it’s up to you guys to keep on this path. Do you think you’re ready for the task?”

The kids all stand straight and twist their faces into looks of determination. “Of course!” one of them starts. “Downworlders don’t seem so bad. Magnus is great!”

“Leave it to us!” another states.

Magnus chuckles. “Alright, alright, Rome wasn’t built in a day. Keep the positive attitudes, guys,” Alec tells them. “We’ll see you later.” He leads Magnus from the room and pauses in the hallway.

“What is it?” Magnus asks.

“I just can’t believe how far we’ve come.” He wraps his arms around Magnus’s waist and pulls him close. “You’ve turned my world upside down and made me a better person for it.” He leans down and kisses Magnus. “I can’t wait for the day things between the Shadowhunters and Downworlders are settled and we have peace.”

“Me either,” Magnus admits, brushing his thumb across Alec’s chest over his shirt.

“Hey, Magnus.” Alec waits for him to look up. “I love you.”

Magnus practically beams up at him. “Hey, Alexander.” He winks. “I love you, too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed it! Come say hi on [tumblr](http://thepinescentedair.tumblr.com/)!


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